Falcons Nest - March 7
Spring Sports have Sprung
Varsity Girls Soccer
The O’Neal Falcons Girls Varsity Soccer team faced two tough tests this week, beginning with a non-conference battle against Caldwell Academy and finishing with a dominant home performance against Freedom Christian. While the first match provided lessons to build on, the second showcased the Falcons’ potential as they rolled to victory.
O’Neal vs Caldwell Academy: FINAL 0-3, L
In their season opener against Caldwell Academy, the Falcons controlled possession early, keeping Caldwell’s attacks at bay and rarely allowing a threat on goal. However, despite their defensive composure, O’Neal struggled to generate meaningful attacking chances of their own.
As the first half wound down, the Falcons were caught off guard. With less than three minutes before the break, Caldwell was awarded a corner kick and took it quickly, scoring before O’Neal could set its defense. The sudden shift in momentum left the Falcons trailing 1-0 at halftime.
O’Neal emerged in the second half still in control, but they couldn't quite find their offensive rhythm. First-game jitters, fatigue, and the process of new players meshing with returners all factored into the struggle. With about 15 minutes left, Caldwell was awarded a free kick at the edge of the box. Their player struck it cleanly, sending the ball into the top corner—just their third shot on goal of the match but a devastating one for the Falcons.
O’Neal pushed forward in the final minutes, searching for a response, but with only 50 seconds left, Caldwell capitalized on another corner kick, sealing a 3-0 defeat for the Falcons. It was a tough loss, but one that provided valuable learning moments for a team still finding its identity.
O’Neal vs Freedom Christian: FINAL 2-0, W
The Falcons quickly turned the page and refocused for their home conference opener against Freedom Christian. From the first whistle, it was all O’Neal, as they dominated possession and created numerous chances, only to be repeatedly denied by Freedom’s goalkeeper.
Caroline Lee finally broke the deadlock, slotting home the opener as the Falcons' offensive persistence paid off. Brielle Wolfe, Charli Bunder, and Keelie Bosworth all created dangerous chances, keeping Freedom’s defense under constant pressure.
The second half mirrored the first, with O’Neal controlling the tempo and testing the Freedom keeper time and time again. Midway through the half, Jordin Reed was brought down in the box, earning the Falcons a penalty. Kennedi Hamner stepped up to the spot but saw her initial shot saved. Reacting quickly, she pounced on the rebound and calmly slotted it home, giving O’Neal a well-earned 2-0 lead and some much-needed breathing room.
The Falcons maintained control for the rest of the match, closing out a dominant performance with a 2-0 victory and their first conference win of the season.
With one win under their belt and plenty of positives to build on, the Falcons now prepare for their next test: a home matchup against the Village Christian Knights on Tuesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. If their performance against Freedom Christian is any indication, O’Neal is just getting started.
Middle School Girls Soccer:
O’Neal vs Freedom Christian: FINAL 7-0, W
The O'Neal Middle School Girls' Soccer Team secured an exceptional victory against Freedom on Thursday afternoon, achieving a mercy rule in record time—a historic milestone for the program. This dominant start to the season is a testament to the players' hard work and commitment. While the coaching staff aimed to provide playing time for all team members, the match concluded swiftly after the seventh goal early in the second half.
The O'Neal Middle School Girls' Soccer Team secured an exceptional victory against Freedom on Thursday afternoon, achieving a mercy rule in record time—a historic milestone for the program. This dominant start to the season is a testament to the players' hard work and commitment. While the coaching staff aimed to provide playing time for all team members, the match concluded swiftly after the seventh goal early in the second half.
Over the past two weeks, the team has diligently focused on mastering fundamental soccer skills, including ball control, using body positioning to gain and maintain possession, and playing with physicality in one-on-one situations. Players have also worked on defensive strategies such as applying pressure to force turnovers and providing cover to support teammates when defending.
Thursday’s game served as a valuable assessment of the team’s current skill level. With this initial evaluation complete, the focus now shifts to preparing for the next matchup on Monday. The Falcons look forward to another strong performance and hope to see a great crowd on the Falcon field in support.
Varsity Boys Tennis:
The season opener originally scheduled for Monday, March 3, was canceled, but the O'Neal boys' soccer team is set to kick off their campaign on Friday, March 7, with an away match against Burlington Christian Academy. The game will take place at the Old Forest Racket Club. The anticipated lineup for the match includes Ethan Kim, Noah Bass, Chris Walters, Joseph Lucas, Nathan Reifenstahl, and Jacob Lian.
The season opener originally scheduled for Monday, March 3, was canceled, but the O'Neal boys' soccer team is set to kick off their campaign on Friday, March 7, with an away match against Burlington Christian Academy. The game will take place at the Old Forest Racket Club. The anticipated lineup for the match includes Ethan Kim, Noah Bass, Chris Walters, Joseph Lucas, Nathan Reifenstahl, and Jacob Lian.
Looking ahead, the team will return to home-turf on Tuesday, March 11, to take on St. David's School. The Falcons are eager to showcase their skills and compete at a high level as the season gets underway.
MS Baseball:
O’Neal vs Freedom Christian: FINAL 7-7 Tie
The Falcons' middle school baseball team kicked off their season with an exciting matchup against the Patriots. The game started strong, with Charlie Borland leading off with a base hit. Thanks to some wild pitches and excellent plate discipline by the rest of the team, the Falcons quickly jumped to a 3-0 lead at the top of the first inning.
However, Freedom Christian responded immediately, stringing together key hits to put up three runs of their own, tying the game heading into the second inning.
By the middle of the third, the Falcons regained the lead, capitalizing on multiple stolen bases to go up 7-5. But Freedom wasn’t backing down. In the bottom of the third, they loaded the bases with only one out. After a strong start on the mound from Liam Enslin, the Falcons made a strategic pitching change, bringing in Charlie Borland. Charlie rose to the occasion, striking out two batters back-to-back to escape the jam. Over the final two innings, he retired four of the last seven batters he faced, allowing just two runs to help secure a 7-7 tie at the end of regulation. Liam also delivered an impressive performance, finishing with six strikeouts and allowing only five runs in 2.5 innings of work.
It was a thrilling season opener, and the team is eager to build on this momentum. The Falcons appreciate the support of the O’Neal community and look forward to their next game against Village Christian Academy at home on March 10 at 3 PM.
Varsity Baseball:
O'Neal vs. Caldwell Academy FINAL: 4-25, L
O'Neal vs. Caldwell Academy FINAL: 4-25, L
The Falcons started their season on Monday against Caldwell Academy. After going up 2-0 in the top of the first inning with a 2-run double from Andrew Pavlovich, Parker Maxwell had a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to sway the momentum in the Falcons' direction. Some errors in the field made the game slip away. The boys shook off the rust and were ready for the next day's tough matchup.
O'Neal vs. Freedom Christian Academy: Final 0-7, L
The Falcons welcomed the Freedom Christian Academy Patriots on Tuesday for the first home game of the season. The Falcons were led by Jake Shepherd, who had an outstanding day on the mound. Shepherd only allowed one earned run through 5 innings while striking out 3. Catcher Kaiden Taveras also flashed his arm and defensive prowess by throwing out 2 runners on the bases. The Falcon bats were quiet, but it was an overall step in a positive direction for O'Neal. They look forward to the task of playing three conference games next week starting with Village Christian @ 4pm at Home on Tuesday, March 11th.
Varsity Boys Golf:
O’Neal vs High Point Christian Academy FINAL: 242 – 245, W
The Falcon varsity golf team took their second win of the year by defeating High Point Christian Academy at Talamore Golf Resort in Southern Pines on Monday, March 3. The teams counted the low three scores and finished with a total of 242, besting their opponents by three strokes. Andrew Hobbs led the Falcons with a 2-over par 73 followed by Zeyu Zhao at 81 and Jack Manning at 88. Scores for the High Point team were 73, 86 and 86. The team held practice on Tuesday and Thursday to prepare for their two-day event in the North State Boys’ High School challenge at the Country Club of Salisbury (NC) which is being played on Friday and Saturday, March 7-8. Players competing in the North State event are Jack Manning, Andrew Hobbs, Zeyu Zhao and Dylan Wolfe. Next week, the Falcon varsity golf team will match up against Grace Christian School on Monday, March 10 at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Sanford.
Middle School Golf:
Middle School golf finally teed off into the new season splitting the match with both the Homeschool Highlanders and Saint John Paul II school! It was a hard-earned match for the Falcons who were led by Luke Valkovics who scored a one-under par (36) and Will Simmons shooting 8 over par (45) through nine holes at Longleaf Country Club. Some highlights include Luke Valkovics chipping in for an eagle on hole 14 while Hudson Collins sank a 15-foot putt for par on hole 12. The Falcons fell to the Homeschool Highlanders by a combined score of 182 to 154. The Falcons, however, took care of business against Saint John Paul II beating them by mercy rule. The Falcons finished up with a strong week of practice on Bottlebrush this past Thursday before building their flexibility and finesse this past Friday in the Performance Room. Next week, the Falcons are back at Longleaf on Tuesday, March 11th for their second match of the season against Trinity of Durham and Chapel Hill.
Middle School golf finally teed off into the new season splitting the match with both the Homeschool Highlanders and Saint John Paul II school! It was a hard-earned match for the Falcons who were led by Luke Valkovics who scored a one-under par (36) and Will Simmons shooting 8 over par (45) through nine holes at Longleaf Country Club. Some highlights include Luke Valkovics chipping in for an eagle on hole 14 while Hudson Collins sank a 15-foot putt for par on hole 12. The Falcons fell to the Homeschool Highlanders by a combined score of 182 to 154. The Falcons, however, took care of business against Saint John Paul II beating them by mercy rule. The Falcons finished up with a strong week of practice on Bottlebrush this past Thursday before building their flexibility and finesse this past Friday in the Performance Room. Next week, the Falcons are back at Longleaf on Tuesday, March 11th for their second match of the season against Trinity of Durham and Chapel Hill.
Falcon Athletics Looking Ahead – 3/10/25 - 3/15/25:
DAY | DATE | OPPONENT | SPORT | H/A | EVENT TIME |
MON | 3/10/2025 | Village Christian Academy | MSBASE | HOME | 3:00PM |
MON | 3/10/2025 | Village Christian Academy | MSGSOC | HOME | 3:00PM |
TUE | 3/11/2025 | Village Christian Academy | BASE | HOME | 4:00PM |
TUE | 3/11/2025 | St. David's School | BTN | HOME | 3:30 PM |
TUE | 3/11/2025 | Village Christian Academy | GSOC | HOME | 4:00PM |
TUE | 3/11/2025 | Trinity School of D&CH | MSGOLF | HOME | 3:20PM |
WED | 3/12/2025 | Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill | T&F | AWAY | 2:30PM |
THU | 3/13/2025 | Northwood Temple | BASE | HOME | 4:00PM |
THU | 3/13/2025 | Northwood Temple | GSOC | HOME | 4:00PM |
THU | 3/13/2025 | Northwood Temple | MSBASE | AWAY | 3:30PM |
THU | 3/13/2025 | Northwood Temple | MSGSOC | AWAY | 3:30PM |
FRI | 3/14/2025 | Freedom Christian Academy | BASE | AWAY | 6:00PM |
FRI | 3/14/2025 | Freedom Christian Academy | GSOC | AWAY | 4:30PM |
FRI | 3/14/2025 | Freedom Christian Academy | MSGSOC | AWAY | 3:00PM |
SAT | 3/15/2025 | Pinecrest Relays | T&F | AWAY | 9:00AM |
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