High School Fall Sports Preview: Golf

Last year there were 6 golfers from Leon County schools that competed in the boys state tournament and four of them will be returning to their respective school to compete during the 2025-2026 season. Lincoln qualified for the state tournament as a team of five golfers and out of the five, Bryce Matthews, Chase Fleischer and William Young will return to play for the Trojans. Chiles had one golfer qualify for the state tournament as an individual in Alex Parker who will also be returning to play for the Timberwolves.

During the City Championship last year, Chiles edged out the Trojans in a very tight match claiming first place by only 2 strokes. Maclay and Florida High followed the Marauders placing third and fourth respectively. Chiles’ Alex Parker had the lowest round of the tournament recording a 68, followed by Lincoln’s Chase Fleischer who shot a 73.

Based on the rankings from the website iWannamaker, Chiles’ Alex Parker ranked first in Leon County with a 9-hole iWannamaker rating (IWR) of -2.567, which placed him 35th in the state of Florida for the 2024-2025 season. Following Parker were Lincoln golfers Calvin Edwards and Bryce Mathews. Edwards had a 9-hole IWR of -1.567 which placed him 83rd in the state and Mathews had a 9-hole IWR of -1.333 which placed him 98th in the state. Although Edwards graduated, both Parker and Mathews will return to play for the Timberwolves and Trojans respectively for the upcoming 2025-2026 season.

Girls Golf

Last year, Leon County had one golfer compete in the Girls 1A FHSAA state tournament in Florida High rising Junior Peyton Johnson. Johnson will be a key element this upcoming season in the success of the Florida High girls golf team as they compete for the top spot in Leon County.

Last season at the City Championship the Maclay girls golf team took first place beating the Timberwolves by 18 strokes. The Seminoles and Marauders were the only two schools to enter a full team of 5 players. Florida High golfer Peyton Johnson led the field with a round of 82 followed by Maclay golfer Reece Erwin who shot a 91.

Based on the rankings from the iwannamaker website for the 2024- 2025 season, Florida High’s Peyton Johnson had the best rating in Leon County with a 9-hole IWR of 1.687. This rating ranked Johnson 83rd in the state. Following Johnson, Maclay’s Lily Smith had a 9-hole IWR of 9.952 which placed her 499th in the state and Chiles’ Beezy Wright had a 9-hole IWR of 10.241 which placed her 517th in the state.