This is an opinion piece.

A decade ago, Mary G. Montgomery was finishing a 2-8 football season.

That really wasn’t big news.

Between 2010 and 2021, the Vikings had six head football coaches. They combined to go 30-69 in that timespan with three two-win seasons, one one-win season and two 0-10 seasons.

Other programs their size clearly were passing them by.

Enter Zach Golson.

In two years, the former McGill-Toolen and Daphne offensive coordinator has transformed MGM from a perennial cellar dweller to a legitimate state title contender.

No, Seriously.

“I don’t think anyone could have dreamt that we would be where we are right now,” Golson said this week. “I think the kids bought in. The community bought in. We have taken it one week at a time, and every week has its new challenges. The kids have stayed focused on being the best we can each day. No one has been perfect, but we’ve put a lot of good weeks together and here we are.”

The Vikings (10-0) just finished their first perfect regular season since 1965. Next week, they will host a playoff game for just the second time in school history and the first time since 1985. Their opponent will be Enterprise, Dothan or Auburn. That will be determined tonight.

Under Golson, Mary G. Montgomery has won 16 consecutive regular-season games. Just two seasons ago, the Vikings went 0-10.

“Obviously, a lot of things go into turning a program around,” he said. “The biggest part is getting the right people in the right places. We believe in our processes starting in the offseason and the summer and going through the season. I feel like a lot of those were set going back to my time with coach (Bill) Clark (at Prattville), Earnest Hill and Caleb Ross (at McGill-Toolen).

“I’ve been able to hire great assistants. We basically revamped the entire staff. That’s hard to do. You can’t do it without having the support of the administration and the city, both of which we’ve had.”

Golson’s first year started rough. The Vikings lost four straight to open the season, but even that skid showed glimmers of hope. Two of the losses were in overtime, three were by four points or less.

“We built a mentality that offseason,” Golson said. “The No. 1 thing for us was to show up and not quit. While we lost those games, there was certainly progress from the year before where you had seen some roadblocks and some games that weren’t even competitive. I felt like there was progress being made, and the kids felt it. I knew if we could just hang in there, we could turn it around.”

It did turn around.

The Vikings beat Alma Bryant 33-19 on Sept. 16, 2021, to stop the losing streak. They’ve won 16 of 17 games since the streak stopped with the only loss coming at Central-Phenix City in the first round of the playoffs a year ago.

“It’s a little surreal,” Golson admitted. “It’s hard not to at least look at the past and acknowledge it. It’s a great testament to our kids. We’ve got some really good football players, and our coaching staff has done a great job. It’s really a testament to everyone.

“I don’t think you could have dreamed this in a million years. We talked about it from Day 1 though – how to go from 0-10 to 10-0. We had a vision of how it could happen one day and they showed up and went to work.”

Mary G. Montgomery is currently ranked No. 3 in Class 7A behind only undefeated Central-Phenix City and four-time reigning state champion Thompson. The Vikings have one of the state’s top senior quarterbacks in South Alabama commit Jared Hollins, an electrifying receiver in James Bolton and a defense that has allowed just 8.1 points a game.

They’ve outscored the competition 372-81 after being outscored 370-93 just two years ago.

“We have good players,” Golson said. “I thought all along there were good players here. I coached against them. We knew they were tough and the kind of kids who didn’t quit. We’ve had the right blend of blue-collar kids and athletes that have allowed us to get off to a good start.”

There are still hurdles to clear.

MGM has never won a playoff game (0-8). In fact, teams representing Class 7A, Region 1 are 1-9 in the postseason over the last two years. The last team to advance out of the second round was McGill-Toolen in 2017.

Golson was the offensive coordinator on that McGill team. Now, he’s trying to keep paving a historic path for the Vikings.

“One of the things we talked about is we want to be that team that wins the first playoff game here,” he said. “We have an opportunity to host two rounds at home potentially. We’ve created a major advantage for ourselves there. If you can find a way to win those rounds, anything is possible.

“We are not going to forget where we’ve been or what is in the past, but we are going to dream big. I think we should be dreaming about playing in Tuscaloosa (for the 7A title), then if you show up and win the day, you might just have a chance to achieve your dreams.”

What a run in Opelika

Erik Speakman was fired as Opelika’s head coach this week after two straight non-playoff seasons in Class 7A.

Speakman was 45-25 in six seasons as the Bulldogs head coach. He made three Class 6A state quarterfinal appearances and one semifinal appearance before the school jumped to 7A.

He also did his time as an assistant coach at Opelika under three previous head coaches – Spence McCracken, Brian Blackmon and Caleb Ross – before earning the top job. He was a Bulldog for 24 years overall.

With 36 seniors set to return next year, he wanted a chance to get Opelika back in the playoffs in 2024. It won’t happen. But he should be proud of the time he’s poured into countless student-athletes in nearly a quarter of a century at the school. That’s a long time.

I’m not sure what is next for the coach, but I know the Lord has something special for him, and I can’t wait to see what that is. Good luck, coach.

Thought for the Week

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.” – Isaiah 40:8

Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected]. He can be heard weekly on “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.