5 Leon athletes sign to college, Big Bend athletes put pen to paper for national early signing day

Scores of high school athletes across the Big Bend put pen to paper today to officially make their commitments to play college athletics.

Wednesday's national early signing day saw thousands of student-athletes sign their national letters of intent to their respective universities, with five of those athletes taking the stage of the Leon High School Auditorium to finalize their college choices.

Leon baseball players Chase Davis (South Alabama), Jay Campbell (FAMU) and Phillip Garcia (Gulf Coast State College) are all heading to the next level. Cross Country runner Patrick Koon made his decision to run for Stanford official and volleyball player Amelia Haggins is set to trade Tallahassee for New Orleans and play for Tulane.

"It's a very proud moment. Every one of these kids deserves this opportunity. It's a phenomenal class for us," Leon Atheltic Director Riley Bell said. "Just a great group of kids and not only are they great athletes, they're all around good people and good students. It's such a good feeling to see all the positivity coming out of our senior class."

With the signing class being one of Leon's best, Bell said it could be a moment that younger athletes at the school use for inspiration.

With that said, let's dive into the signees from across the Big Bend.

Athletic Directors, if your athletes signed and aren't shown on this list, please email a copy of their name, sport, and college to lrooney@tallahassee.com so they can be added!

Baseball

For the Leon trio of Davis, Campbell and Garcia, Wednesday's signing day ceremony was a full-circle moment for the three. Playing at Leon all four seasons, the trio helped lead the Lions to a district championship in 2022, despite only playing with a roster of just 12 players, the Lions were one of the Big Bend's strongest teams.

"It's a little surreal, just being up here with all the guys," Davis said. "Especially with the two athletes that aren't part of the baseball team, it's just a cool experience to realize what the opportunity given to us is like and really take full advantage of it now. To be up here with these two [Campbell and Garcia] who I have built bonds with since freshman year, it's great."

Campbell, who is staying home and playing for FAMU, feels the moment of signing with Davis and Garcia is a time for personal achievement and a chance to share a lifelong memory with his teammates.

"The last time we had three people come in and sign on the same day, I don't know if that's ever happened," Campbell said, "It feels good to be part of this and it feels so good to have your teammates to do it alongside you."

Garcia and Davis are childhood best friends and have dreamed of climbing up the ranks of baseball since they were young, so when Garcia heard that Davis was signing on early signing day, he knew they had to do it with each other.

"Me and Chase growing up, man we've always of course dreamed of going to college, and once he committed I was like, 'You know we got it we got to sign on the same day, it's got to happen," Garica said. "It's just a surreal moment, it's crazy. I thank God for it all."

List of signee's

Chase Davis, Leon, signs to South Alabama

Jay Campbell, Leon, signs to FAMU

Philip Garcia, Leon, signs to Gulf Coast State College

Volleyball

It was a wild season for Leon volleyball, with an interim head coach and the home gym being renovated forcing them to play at Monford Middle School, one of the constant sparks for the Lions was Haggins.

Leading Leon to a district final appearance and a 14-10 record, posting 250 kills, 20 aces, 21 blocks, 149 digs and four assists. Heading to Tulane, Haggins hopes to continue to improve and use her competitive edge to grow her own game and the program.

"I'm so excited to get out there and see some faster ball and some really good girls," Haggins said. "I'm just excited to really change and turn that program around because they haven't been a big volleyball program. So I hope I'm a part of taking them to the next level."

Surrounded by her friends and family, Haggins put the pen to paper and made her commitment to Tulane official, the moment is a realization of more than just a college decision for her.

"It was just so rewarding," Haggins said. "It's like all of the work and the sleepless nights and the late nights and early mornings, it's all paying off and it's such an amazing and rewarding feeling. Knowing that I have some of my best friends here just makes it better."

List of signees

Amelia Haggins, Leon, signs to Tulane volleyball

Kenzie Hultquist, Florida High, signs to Florida State University sand volleyball

Amelia Wass de czege, Florida High, signs to University of South Florida volleyball

Kaylin Johnson, Chiles, signs to the University of West Florida volleyball

Ashlyn Koerner, Lincoln, signs to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Universtiy volleyball

Cross Country/Track and field

Not only one of Leon's top runners, Koon is one of the state of Florida's best runners ever. Swapping the East Coast for the West, Koon is heading to Stanford to join the Cardinal's cross-country program.

Holding multiple state records, winning four state titles between cross country and track and winning Gatorade Runner of the Year in Florida, Koon has experienced the highest level of competition in high school, and he's looking forward to what the next level brings.

"I've known that I was going to Stanford for a couple of months now, but this just makes it one step closer to actually going and I'm super excited to do it amongst these other great Leon athletes and in front of the community," Koon said. "It's kind of surreal, this is something I wouldn't have ever dreamed of years ago. So it's an honor and I'm super proud."

With the cross-country season in the regional rounds of the postseason, Koon is looking to add one more state championship to his resume in cross-country.

"I'm looking to compete as a team, I think our team can do something really special," Koon said. "Individually going on and trying to try to win and do the best I can for my team is what I'm looking for."

List of signees

Patrick Koon, Leon, signs to Stanford cross country

Cade Swart, Chiles, signs to the University of Pennsylvania track and field.

Softball

Dillyn Suggs, Florida High, signs to Campbell University softball

Riley Deem, Florida High, signs to Faulkner University softball

Ashlyn Powell, Florida High, signs to Thomas University softball

Soccer

Estella Diaz, Lincoln, signs to Flagler University soccer

Izzy Brantley, Lincoln, signs to King University soccer

Basketball

Dakota Morris, Florida High, signs to Barry University basketball.

Swimming

Ryder Gentry, Chiles, signs to Louisiana State University swimming

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Athletes across the Big Bend sing to college for early signing day