In a guest editorial that appeared in The Denver Post over a year and a half ago, Douglas Groothuis described football in the following terms: “For Americans, ‘football’ involves men in elaborate and expensive exoskeletons who try to run or kick an oblong object into their opponents’ end zone. This requires no little mayhem. It is all about taking down opponents, which demands collisions, concussions, contusions, and more.” In short, it’s a brutal, violent game reserved for the biggest of the big, the fastest of the fast, and the toughest of the tough. But you couldn’t tell…
Author: Robert Preston, Jr.
Last week’s race for the fifth and final Ambrose City Council seat between Blaine Paulk and Andy Jowers was almost as close as the Nov. 7. But not quite. After tying 24-24 last month, Jowers and Paulk, a former school board member, faced each other in a run-off. This time a few more people voted but the result came remarkably close to the first election. This time, however Paulk narrowly defeated Jowers by just two votes, 30-28. The election wraps the political season in Coffee County. On Nov. 7, elections were held in…
For two days, Dr. Morris Leis, superintendent of the Coffee County School System, pled the system’s case to the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) regarding the location Friday’s state championship football game. After filing a protest and multiple appeals, the GHSA refused to change the decision it made in the wake of last Friday’s snow storm in Atlanta that caused the cancellation of several state title games, which were scheduled to be played over two days at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game between the Coffee Trojans and the Lee County Trojans, which will decide the 6A state championship,…
Now that the Georgia High School Association has postponed the state championship football game between the Coffee Trojans and the Lee County Trojans (along with several other games), what comes next? At the moment, the game is scheduled for next Friday at 8 p.m. in Lee County – a venue at which we have already played. There are reports with varying degrees of credibility stating that our school officials are appealing the decision in order to get the game played at another location. Whether this happens or not remains to be seen. My sneaking suspicion is that the…
On the eve of the Coffee Trojans’ first appearance in a state football championship game, the Region 1-6A All Region teams have been released. And three Trojans top the list. Quarterback Wade Sumner has been named Offensive Player of the Year while defensive lineman Derrick Newton was named Defensive Player of the Year. Athlete of the Year honors went to running back/linebacker Jameon Gaskin, whose offensive performance this season (after three years of playing solely defense) might have saved the Trojans’ season. These three certainly weren’t the only Coffee players selected. Here are the others: First Team All Region Offense:…
For the first time in school history, the Coffee Trojans football team is playing for a state championship. As a result, schools will be closed on Friday, according to information posted on the Coffee County School System’s Facebook page. Coffee will face the Lee County Trojans at 8 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Unofficially dubbed the Trojan War, the two teams are region rivals and have already played each other once this season. With the Region 1-6A title on the line, Lee County won 23-7 in Leesburg. Now Coffee is looking for a little revenge and…
An era in downtown Douglas is about to end. Lott True Value Hardware, a fixture in Douglas for decades, is closing its doors. According to a Facebook post by JoAnne Hanna Lott, wife of owner Al Lott, Al has decided to retire. He will sell everything in the store in a large retirement sale, which will begin Thursday morning. In her post, JoAnne wrote that Al’s father purchased the business from a Mr. Powers of Powers Hardware in 1957, the year Al was born. In 1989, Al bought the store from his father. He has spent nearly every day of…
A pair of former Trojans had big weekends, helping their respective teams win conference championships. One is headed to the College Football Playoff while the other will face Southeastern Conference runner-up Auburn in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day. Maverick Morris, a 6’3″, 300-pound lineman who has graduated from Clemson University but had a year of eligibility remaining, and his Tigers defeated unbeaten Miami Saturday night in the ACC Championship 38-3, securing #1 spot in the nation and earning a shot at Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in the first round of the playoff. Wyatt Miller, 6’4″, 306, a…
Forty-eight years. Five hundred and sixteen games. Two hundred and eighty-six wins. Two trips to the semifinals of the state playoffs. Zero trips to the state title game. Until now. The Coffee Trojans are headed to Mercedes Benz Stadium to play in the state championship game for the first time in school history. The Trojans earned a berth in the title game by upsetting the formidable Tucker Tigers 14-3 at Adams Stadium in Atlanta Friday night. The win sets up a re-match with region foe Lee County, which defeated Coffee 23-7 in Leesburg on Nov. 3. The Trojans were limited…
A new school bus sustained significant cosmetic damage following a Wednesday morning traffic accident near the intersection Highway 32 and 206. There were no students on the bus and the driver wasn’t injured. According to information obtained from the Coffee County School System, the bus was traveling east on 32 and attempting to turn right on 206. The driver had finished her route and was taking the bus to the bus barn. Being one of the newer buses, it was scheduled to make the trip to the Atlanta area this weekend with the football team. Now, it will…