High school football season is officially BACK on the Gulf Coast this week with our third stop of the Greer’s Markets Game of the Week taking us out to Semmes and Mary G. Montgomery High School!
The Vikings host the Dolphins in a non-region game with MGM coming off a huge 2023 season that was one of the best in team history, going 12-0 and winning the Class 7A Region 1 Championship en route to a deep playoff run all the way to the state semifinals where they lost to the eventual champions in powerhouse Central Phenix City.
The Vikings and head coach Zach Golson are replacing the engine of their offense, however, in quarterback Jared Hollins. Hollins was one of the best players in the entire state in 2023 and succeeding him is no small task. Last year’s backup who also started on defense Shondell Harris steps into the role.
Gulf Shores, on the other hand, is coming off a state title in Class 5A and moves up this year to 6A, making the toughest region in the state even harder in 6A Region 1. The Dolphins and head coach Mark Hudspeth are also replacing their best player in do-it-all weapon Ronnie Royal, who was utterly dominant en route to the Blue Map for Gulf Shores.
Both teams are coming off a week one loss against extremely quality out of state opponents. The Vikings fell on the road against Pace (FL) in an overtime heartbreaker by a score of 17-14, while the Dolphins faced off against powerhouse Choctawhatchee (FL) and were defeated 31-7.
With both teams looking to grab their first win of the season, tensions will be high in Semmes when the Vikings and Dolphins take the field.
