A 40-year-old remains in jail after he allegedly provided officers with false information and was found to be in possession of suspected methamphetamine during a traffic stop earlier this month. A report from the police department states that on August 4, 2026, at around 11:45 p.m., an officer stopped a red 2008 Mazda CX-9 for suspended registration. During the stop, the driver, identified as Johnathan Ryan Ortiz, 40, of Douglas, allegedly provided the officer with false information. According to the report, Ortiz gave the officer his brother’s information. The officer eventually figured out what had happened and Ortiz admitted to…
Author: Robert Preston, Jr.
The David Emanuel Academy Eagles came to town Friday night and they brought a playoff-esque intensity with them. The Eagles were here to face the CCA Patriots in an early season region game that could very much have postseason implications. The Eagles entered the game ranked #1 in the state with the Patriots coming in at #4. Both teams opened their seasons last week with impressive wins. Yes, this was a rivalry game. And it came with an energy and urgency that belied its week two scheduling. Before the first quarter ended, both teams were on the board and it…
The Coffee Trojans went into Friday night’s season opener against the 7A Parkview Panthers at the Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic in Atlanta as six-point favorites. They won by 35. The game was played at Center Parc Stadium, home of the Georgia State University Panthers. The Trojans got four touchdowns from game MVP Xavien Littleton as well as scores from Tresean Smith (78-yard pick six), Camron Carswell, and Tommy Stanley. Coffee missed one extra point but made a two-point conversion to DJ Johnson. The Trojan defense set the tone early and suffocated the Panther offense all night. Coffee is 1-0…
Those long road trips seem a little shorter when you’re coming home after a win. Thursday, the CCA Lady Patriots made sure the trip home from Macon was as short as possible. They defeated the Mount de Sales Cavaliers14-0 in five innings in Macon, improving to 8-2 on the season. CCA had the game in control, leading 5-0 after the third inning when they decided to put the game away for good. They scored nine runs in the fifth inning then held the Cavaliers scoreless in the bottom of the inning to win via run rule. A pair of pitchers,…
The Coffee Lady Trojans needed just 10 ½ innings to dispatch the Northside-Warner Robins Eagles in a doubleheader Thursday at Faircloth Field in Douglas. The Lady Trojans won game one 8-0 in six innings then took game two 12-2 in four and a half innings. Coffee was on cruise control in game one and built a 3-0 lead through four innings. After a scoreless fifth inning, the Lady Trojans erupted for five runs in the sixth to end the game via run rule. Maggie Brown ended the game with a double that scored Allie Pridgen to invoke the run rule.…
During a recent meeting of the Douglas Rotary Club at the South Georgia State College Alumni House, members and friends heard a program on school days in Downtown Douglas during the beginning of the 20th Century. Rotary President Jim Cottingham employed early postcards, photos, and archival materials to spotlight this pivotal period. Much of the focus zeroed in on the current site of the Central Square Complex — bordered on the west and east by Madison Avenue and Coffee Avenue and on the north and south by Ashley Street and Bryan Street. This historically rich area has continuously been in…
If you google “Greatest high school baseball coaches of all time,” links to several different sites will pop up. The various organizations keep records differently so you might find the names in differing order, depending on the outlet. One name, however, is on every list – and it’s near the very top – Rich Hofman, the winningest high school baseball coach in Florida and one of the top five or six high school baseball coaches in the country. Coach Hofman’s list of accolades and achievements is too extensive to discuss in this space. Here are the highlights: 1,020 wins (the…
The Coffee Lady Trojans picked up their second win a row and their first region win Tuesday over the Northside-Warner Robins Eagles 11-0. The run-rule shortened game took place in Warner Robins. Coffee scored one in the first, five in the third, four in the fourth, and one in the fifth. The Lady Trojans’ starter, Kanlee Douglas, threw a complete-game one-hit shutout. Ella Edge and Madison Adams paced the Lady Trojan offense with two hits each. Edge scored twice while Adams drove in two. Douglas was also 1-2 with three RBI. Allie Pridgen drove in a pair as well. Coffee…
How many story lines would you like in one early-season game? A battle of defending state champions with five titles between them over the last three years? Check. A pitcher who has won championships on both teams returning to face her teammates? Double check. A neutral site game with a huge crowd on both sides and all the accompanying chatter (mostly friendly, of course) that comes with it? Triple check. Such was the case Saturday afternoon at the Premier Sports Complex in Douglas when the GHSA Class A three-time defending state champion Lanier County Lady Bulldogs faced the GIAA Class…
Eighth grader Allie Veal threw four innings, giving up two runs on two hits while striking out four and walking two, and she went 1-3 at the plate with an RBI in the CCA Lady Patriots’ 13-2 win over Brookwood on the CCA campus Friday evening. The game started at 5 p.m. but had to stop after a few innings due to a weather delay. The stoppage didn’t seem to dampen the Lady Patriots’ spirits; CCA scored three in the first, three in the second, and seven in the third to take a 13-2 lead. The game ended after 4…