Author: Robert Preston

For the Coffee Trojans, their round two playoff matchup against the Decatur Bulldogs was a tale of two halves. While Coffee led Decatur 14-7 at halftime, it was a tenuous lead at best. Head coach Mike Coe lamented his team’s performance as halftime ended. “We didn’t play very well in the first half. We’re better than they are but we’re not playing like it. If we don’t play better, we’re leaving here with an L tonight,” he said. The Trojans got the message and exploded for 37 points in the third quarter en route to a…

“The key is to punch your ticket ‘cause you never know who may get hurt on the other team, who may get upset, who can’t play in the rain, who can’t play in the cold. So you just keep plugging and trying to get better and surviving and advancing and keep moving forward. I’m glad I’ve got one more week with my guys,” said Coffee Trojans head coach Mike Coe following Coffee’s 34-6 win over the visiting Ola Mustangs Saturday night at Jardine Stadium. The #2 seed Trojans faced the #3 seed Mustangs in the first round of…

Michael Stevens of Ambrose was charged with multiple counts earlier this year after law enforcement reported that he failed to provide essential services to his mother, Sherry Stevens, who was unable to care for herself at the time. Stevens pleaded guilty to the charge as well as an additional count of possession of methamphetamine on Tuesday. Last month, DouglasNow published a story on Stevens’ arrest, which occurred earlier this year. As previously reported, law enforcement was dispatched to Sherry’s home on April 20 after a hospice nurse reported that she and one of Sherry’s family members were unable…

Friday night, the Ware County Gators came to town to face the Coffee Trojans in a clash for the Region 1-5A title. A record-setting crowd packed Jardine Stadium for the biggest game of the year. Among the visitors was Coffee High’s most famous alumni, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. If it wasn’t the first time Hill has been back on the sidelines at Coffee High since graduating, it was the first time in many, many years. He spoke to the players in the locker room then walked out on the field for the coin toss. Afterwards, he stayed…

The Ware County Gators are Region 1-5A champions after defeating the Coffee Trojans 31-6 at a packed Jardine Stadium Friday night. The two teams were poised for an epic showdown. It didn’t quite turn out that way. Ware took an early 7-0 lead. The Gators expanded that lead with a 23-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Coffee answered when quarterback Maurice Hansley found Range Robinson in the end zone for a two-yard score. Hansley and Keshad Turner set up the touchdown when the two connected on a long pass that put the Trojans at…

Several years ago, the Douglas city commission passed a local ordinance deeming the city a wildlife sanctuary. According to paragraph C of Section 10-4 of the ordinance, “It shall be unlawful to trap, hunt, molest or kill any other wild game in the city except by order of the city manager.” It’s time for such an order. In the past, people — myself included — have hunted deer inside the city limits. Douglas still has a number of wooded areas that house a large deer population. It’s not uncommon to see trophy class bucks wandering the railroad…

Since week one of the 2022 football season, it has seemed as though the Coffee Trojans and Ware County Gators were on a collision course for the region championship. After the Trojans’ 48-0 win over the Greenbrier Wolfpack in Evans and the Gators’ 59-7 throttling of Statesboro on the road Friday night, the stage is set: The two titans of Region 1-5A will slug it out next Friday at Jardine Stadium with the title on the line. Both teams are at the pointy end of 5A statewide. And both teams have walked through the region with little trouble.…

Junior running back Fred Brown ran for two touchdowns and quarterback Maurice Hansley threw for two more in the Coffee Trojans 42-7 win over the Jenkins Warriors Thursday night in Savannah. The win improved Coffee to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in region play. The Trojans, who have two games remaining, secured a playoff spot with the win. It was another methodical and business-like game for Coffee. The Trojans had one minor hiccup, a fumbled punt early in the first quarter that didn’t cost Coffee any points. Other than that, the Trojan offense used a balanced attack to demonstrate…

The Coffee Trojans showed why they are the state’s #1 5A offense on Friday night. Coffee defeated the visiting Statesboro Blue Devils 35-3 in another dominating region performance. The Trojans are 2-0 in region play and outscored their opponents 77-16 over the last two games. Coffee jumped out to an early lead on a slow, methodical march downfield after holding the Blue Devils on their first drive. The drive ended on a 32-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Maurice Hansley to receiver Billy Simpson. James Jarrard, who has been handling most of the kicking duties in the absence of…

Last week, I went to Harvey’s on Ward Street. As I stepped out of my vehicle, a terrible odor hit me. Without thinking, I stopped in my tracks and uttered, “What is that?” Then I realized where I was — Pilgrim’s Pride wasn’t far away and the wind was blowing from that direction. I’ve lived in Douglas my entire life. There has always been some kind of chicken processing plant here so this is not a foreign odor to me. Some days it’s worse than others. Much of the time, there is no smell at all. But when…