Knight Time: Montgomery Catholic football captures first state title

December 11, 2023

By ROB HERBST
The Catholic Week
TUSCALOOSA – After a few years of close calls and disappointments, 2023 proved to be Knight time.
The Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School football team captured its first state football championship in program history, beating Cherokee County 35-0 on Dec. 8 in the Class 4A championship game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
Montgomery Catholic had come up just short of a state title the past years. The Knights lost in the Class 3A state title game on the same University of Alabama field in 2000, then suffered disappointing semifinal defeats in both 2021 and 2022.
“Very surreal,” said Montgomery Catholic coach Kirk Johnson. “It’s something I’ve dreamed for a long time. I’ve had (the state championship) on my mind the last two years, but what God has planned for you nobody can take away. He’s a faithful God and we just stayed the course.”
Johnson was an assistant on the 2020 Montgomery Catholic squad before being elevated to head coach in 2021. Last year was especially difficult on Johnson as his mother died during the Knights’ playoff run.
“My mom is laying in the hospital and I’m 50-50 in my decision whether I need to be in the hospital with my mom or on the field with the boys. When I was with them, I was thinking about her. When I was with her, I was thinking about them. She passed that Sunday. It was tough. But I made a vow to these boys and told these boys, and these seniors, that we were going to go do it and they were going to get everything I had.”
The Knights accomplished their mission with a stifling defense that had been one of its trademarks this season. Montgomery Catholic racked up its ninth shutout of the season and recorded the first shutout of the Super 7 state championships since 2018.
A heavy dose of quarterback Caleb McCreary sure helped too. McCreary was the game’s MVP as he rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns, plus completed 9 of 14 passes for 60 yards and a score.
McCreary gave the Knights a 7-0 lead in the final minute of the first half with a 3-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Williams. Cherokee County had its opportunity to get even on its opening drive of the third quarter. Facing 4-and-7 from the Montgomery Catholic 10 yard line, the Knights’ Rickie Williams broke up a pass in the end zone to preserve the lead.
The Knights took over from there. Montgomery Catholic used a 15-play, 90-yard drive capped by McCreary’s 5-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 lead with eight seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The Knights scored 28 points in the game’s final 12:08.
“It means everything,” McCreary said. “We had some trials and tribulations that we came upon. Nobody believed in us … and we came back and challenged each other and we came and played together.”

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