SEMMES, Ala. — Few programs in South Alabama entered the 2026 football season carrying as much off-field weight as Mary G. Montgomery, and few opened against a tougher assignment.
The Vikings began their year at home against Saraland, a program that has reached the state championship game in each of the past four seasons. It is the kind of opener that would test any roster. For MGM, it arrives at the end of an unusual and difficult stretch.
What the program is working through
The Alabama High School Athletic Association placed Mary G. Montgomery on restrictive probation for recruiting violations. The ruling suspended then-head coach Zach Golson for one year, barring him from coaching at any AHSAA member school during that period, and prohibited the team from participating in the postseason.
That last penalty reshapes the season entirely. With no playoff path available, MGM’s year consists of its 10 regular-season games and nothing beyond them. The program also lost some players connected to the recruiting violations that produced the sanctions.
Defensive coordinator Alex Page was promoted to head coach in the aftermath, inheriting a team that must find its motivation somewhere other than the postseason bracket.
Playing for something other than the playoffs
A season without a postseason is a genuine coaching challenge. Progress has to be measured week to week — in development, in the standard a program sets for itself, in what returning players carry into next year. For a roster of teenagers, showing up with intent for 10 games that lead nowhere on paper is not a small ask.
Drawing Saraland first does at least remove any ambiguity about the level of competition. The Spartans have been the measuring stick in the area for half a decade.
A busy night across the area
The MGM-Saraland matchup headlined a slate of 18 games involving Mobile County and Baldwin County teams. The area’s season had already opened the night before, when Spanish Fort scored a late touchdown to take an 18-15 comeback victory over Daphne on the Toros’ home field — a rivalry result that set an early tone for the Eastern Shore.
Looking ahead
For Mary G. Montgomery, the schedule ahead offers ten opportunities to establish what the program looks like under new leadership. Whether the Vikings can convert a sanctioned season into a foundation for the next one is the question that will follow them through the fall.