School Spotlight: Montgomery Catholic Knights (Montgomery, AL)

Montgomery Catholic Prep School is a K-12 Catholic school located in Montgomery, Alabama while being governed by the Archdiocese of Mobile. It is the oldest private K-12 school in Alabama. Montgomery Catholic’s mascot is the Knights and their colors are black and blue. Montgomery Catholic participates in the 4A class of sports in the AHSAA. For the past three years, Montgomery Catholic has been led by current Head Coach Kirk Johnson who is from the lower-Birmingham area and played college football at Montgomery. 

For the last 4 years, Montgomery Catholic has had some impressive statistics. The last senior class to graduate has won 4 straight regional championships, going 8-2 against all rivals, with 0 regional losses, and 10-plus games won yearly. That class has also been a part of a 51-6 overall record, scoring 2012 total points, only allowing 594 total points, with 12 playoff wins, and a 3.12 average GPA. Last year, Montgomery Catholic went 13-1. Montgomery scored 40-plus points in EVERY regular season game, scoring 72 once, scoring at least 60 points on 4 separate occasions, and scoring 50-plus points in 8 of 10 total games. Andalusia, the team who beat Montgomery Catholic in the semifinal round of the 4A state playoffs, lost to Montgomery Catholic in the final game of the regular season by a score of 45-23. Coach Johnson has put 42 kids in college football programs throughout his entire tenure at Montgomery Catholic. 

Looking to continue the success of the program, Coach Johnson keeps the standard that was set when he arrived intact. The standard is Faith, Family, Accountability, and Hard Work. If the student-athletes have faith in any situations including adversity, recognize their teammates as family, hold each person accountable for their actions, and put in hard work and bust their butts every day, then the rest will take care of itself. The focus is on creating great young men and this comes before simply winning. I was able to speak with Coach Johnson about his top prospects expected to lead the team next year.

#1 Caleb McCreary is a 5’11” 182 lb class of 2024 Quarterback. Caleb is currently committed to Troy University. Caleb not only has elite running ability but he anticipates his throws really well.

#11 Jaylon McClaney is a 6’0” 185 lb class of 2024 Strong Safety. Jaylon is a very good tackler and can cover a lot of ground in coverage.

#77 Ariyn Gilbert is a 6’0” 200 lb class of 2024 Offensive Tackle. 

#28 Jotavion “Jo” Pierce is a 6’3” 185 lb class of 2025 Free Safety and Wide Receiver. Jo holds offers from Texas Southern and Virginia Tech. He is a really good tackler in space.

#53 Keltric “KJ” Washington Jr. is a 6’2” 220 lb class of 2025 Defensive Lineman. His highlights are filled with him immediately shedding blocks and making countless tackles for loss.

#43 Wilson Hodges is a 6’5” 230 lb class of 2025 Tight End. Wilson’s film is filled with many pancake blocks and blocking defenders to open running lanes.

#9 Kamden “Kam” Miller is a 6’1” 215 lb class of 2025 Linebacker. Kam is a really aggressive Linebacker who is great in the running game.