High school volleyball is officially underway in the Capital City, and the first full weekend of the 2026 season gave Leon County four teams a demanding early test. Chiles, Leon, Lincoln, and Community Christian all hit the floor between Friday, Aug. 21 and Saturday, Aug. 22 — a stretch defined by tournament play, ranked showdowns, and a pair of five-set thrillers.
Chiles Timberwolves
The Timberwolves — No. 8 in MaxPreps’ Florida rankings — opened the weekend with a five-set road loss at Forest on Friday, falling 3-2 despite a monster performance from Sterling Carlile, who piled up 28 kills and 23 digs. Riley Boykin contributed 12 digs, four aces, and a solo block in the loss, while Harper Whitaker added 17 digs and 13 assists. The grind continued Saturday, when Chiles dropped another five-setter to Santa Fe, 3-2, before salvaging the weekend with a 3-2 win over The Villages Charter to close at 1-2.
Leon Lions
Leon split its Saturday slate, moving to 2-3 on the young season. The Lions opened with a 2-1 win over Columbia, taking the match 25-21, 19-25, 15-8. They then pushed Alabama powerhouse Enterprise to the limit before falling 3-2 in a match where neither team ever won consecutive sets — the set scores swung 25-10, 21-25, 28-26, 23-25, 15-9.
Lincoln Trojans
It was a forgettable Saturday for the Trojans, who dropped both ends of a tournament doubleheader in straight sets. Lincoln, fell 3-0 to Beachside and 3-0 to South Walton.
Community Christian Chargers
The Chargers turned in the county’s cleanest weekend, sweeping all three of their tournament matches without dropping a set. Community Christian beat Thomasville (Ga.) 2-0 behind Sarah Bradley’s three digs and three aces and Avea Casperson’s seven digs, six kills, and two aces. The No. 5-ranked Chargers then rolled past Ware County 2-0 and Brantley County 2-0 to move to a perfect start in tournament play.
It was a weekend of mixed results across Leon County. Chiles and Leon both proved they can compete against quality opposition but fell on the wrong side of five-set nail-biters, Community Christian established itself as an early team to watch with a spotless tournament run, and Lincoln will look to regroup when it returns to action. With district play and more tournament weekends looming, the early signs suggest the county’s top programs are ready for a competitive season.
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