By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
LEEDS — On Tuesday, Leeds coaches and teammates remembered Johnathan “Dougie” Douglas as a young man of faith and character, whose presence could lift those around him.
Douglas, 18, drowned Saturday in Logan Martin Lake. He had just completed his senior year at Leeds High School, graduating on May 26. He leaves behind a legacy of great play on the field, but those who knew him focused more on the kind of uplifting person he was.
“He had so many great qualities,” Leeds baseball coach Jake Wingo said. “I think about his character. He always had the same attitude no matter whether things were good or things were going bad. It’s seldom in coaching that you, as an adult, have a kid who affects you in such a positive way. He was one of those kids.”
Teammates remember Dougie as a young man of faith, whose belief positively affected his teammates.
“… Dougie started praying before every game, and that’s when we won 15 in a row,” Leeds pitcher/first baseman Dax Phillips said. “When he got hurt we had a game at Shelby county he couldn’t get to so we all wanted to FaceTime him so he could pray but we couldn’t, and that game didn’t turn out to well for us and that’s when we lost the winning streak.”
Douglas loved playing and being around his teammates.
“He was always happy and smiling and excited before every practice and couldn’t wait to get after it,” Phillips said.
Douglas’s warmth and kindness were contagious, said Leeds football coach Jerry Hood. Douglas played linebacker for the Green Wave.
“Johnathan was an unbelievable kid,” Hood said. A lot of kids come through who are, you know, ‘really good at this’ or you could sy ‘his personality was this.’ But Dougie made the whole school, whole room, whatever situation he was in feel so warm and so good.”
The community here — close-knit to a fault — is still coming to terms with the loss of a beloved friend and teammate.
“Initially when it happened, it was shocking on a whole other level,” Hood said. “He was such a young person, doing what so many other young people have done. And then something went wrong. You wish you had the power to undo the clock.”
Dougie’s play on the gridiron was a difference-maker on a defensive unit that found a different level with his presence at linebacker.
“His play, the toughness he showed, turned us into a really good defensive football team,” Hood said. “He was a great player. He was tough, smart, and emade big plays for us. An outstanding young man.”
Jarod Latta, who played on both the baseball and football teams with Dougie, remembers a time of celebration late in the 2022 baseball season.
“He was always a guy you wanted to be around,” Latta said. “His smile lit up the room and his laugh was contagious. One memory I will never forget with him is after we beat Hayden in the second round of the (baseball) playoffs, the dance we did when we were celebrating on the field. He was an amazing soul and will never be forgotten.”
Those who knew Dougie understood how powerful his faith was, and they take comfort in that.
“He was a believer, so we know where he is,” Hood said.
A fundraiser to pay for Douglas’s funeral expenses has been set up HERE.