Falcons Nest - April 25
Falcons Head into Conference Tournament Play
Varsity Girls Soccer:
Senior Recognition
The Falcons’ match against Fayetteville Christian School was ultimately canceled due to an extended lightning delay followed by storms in the area. However, the team was still able to hold a brief but meaningful senior ceremony during warmups (before the lightning arrived) to honor the FIVE graduating seniors from the program.
Charli Bunder, Kaylee Crow, Katherine Fensterle, Caroline Lee, and Victoria York have each made a lasting impact on O’Neal Women’s Soccer and the greater Falcon community. Their leadership, dedication, and love for the game have helped shape the program’s culture and success. They will be deeply missed by their coaches and teammates.
The Falcons’ match against Fayetteville Christian School was ultimately canceled due to an extended lightning delay followed by storms in the area. However, the team was still able to hold a brief but meaningful senior ceremony during warmups (before the lightning arrived) to honor the FIVE graduating seniors from the program.
Charli Bunder, Kaylee Crow, Katherine Fensterle, Caroline Lee, and Victoria York have each made a lasting impact on O’Neal Women’s Soccer and the greater Falcon community. Their leadership, dedication, and love for the game have helped shape the program’s culture and success. They will be deeply missed by their coaches and teammates.
O’Neal vs. Fayetteville Academy: FINAL 3-0, W
After a 30-minute lightning delay, the Falcons took the field against Fayetteville Academy. Dominating much of the first half, the Falcons remained scoreless until the 35th minute, when Brielle Wolfe received a pass at midfield, beat two defenders, and launched a shot from outside the 18 that soared over the keeper’s head and into the net.
With just under a minute left in the first half, Charli Bunder fired a strike from right outside the center circle that also flew over the keeper and into the back of the net.
The Falcons were in high spirits during halftime as Coach Kyle encouraged them to keep their foot on the gas and come out strong in the second half. The team responded. Victoria York sent a cross into the box, which was headed out by a Fayetteville defender—but straight to the feet of Bunder, who blasted it into the top left corner for the Falcons’ third goal.
Throughout the match, the Falcons' success was fueled by an all-time high in passing and teamwork—truly a full team effort from start to finish. This was a great win for the Lady Falcons as they head into conference tournament play next week and prepare for the state playoffs the week after.
Middle School Girls Soccer:
O’Neal vs Thales Academy Apex: FINAL 1-2, L
O’Neal vs Thales Academy Apex: FINAL 1-2, L
The Falcons showed significant progress and dominated much of the game. The team demonstrated excellent teamwork and is really coming together, connecting their passes with precision and purpose. In the final two seconds, Thales managed to slip in a lucky goal, capping off what was otherwise an incredible performance by the Falcons.
Varsity Baseball:
O'Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: FINAL 14-0, W
O'Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: FINAL 14-0, W
The Falcons finished off their regular season on the road on Tuesday against the Fayetteville Christian Warriors. The Falcons stayed hot at the plate totaling 11 hits in the 14-0 victory. The offense was led by Andrew Pavlovich, who went 2-4 with 4 RBIs. Max Pashley also had 2 hits and 2 RBIs and made stellar plays on defense at 2nd base. Parker Maxwell and Parker Fusonie each had 2 hits of their own. Joey Wade, Jake Shepherd, and Kaiden Taveras each had 1 hit in the contest. Wade brought in 2 runs, Shepherd 3, and Taveras 1.
Joey Wade had a fantastic day on the mound, throwing a complete game no-hitter while only allowing one base runner and striking out 9. The Falcons will look to keep this momentum going with a Conference Playoff game against The Village Christian Academy Knights next Tuesday, April 29th, at 6 pm at VCA.
MS Baseball:
O’Neal vs Thales Academy: FINAL 4-7, L
The O'Neal Falcons MS Team came up short in a 7-4 loss to Thales Academy Apex MS Titans on Wednesday. Thales struck first with a run-scoring single in the top of the first, but the Falcons answered in the bottom of the second as Charlie Borland delivered a two-run single to give O’Neal a 2-1 lead. Thales regained the lead in the fourth, capitalizing on a single and a defensive miscue by the Falcons to score two runs. A Thales error in the fifth allowed O’Neal to tie the game at three, but a late surge in the seventh—featuring a single to left, a double to center, and another RBI single down the line—propelled Thales back in front for good. Liam Enslin pitched four innings in relief for the Falcons, allowing eight hits and six runs (five earned) while striking out five. Starter Parker Maxwell went three innings, giving up just one run on three hits. Offensively, Oliver Gabor and Kaiden Taveras each tallied two hits, while Borland led the team with two RBIs. Gabor was a force on the basepaths, swiping five of the team’s eight stolen bases in the game.
Varsity Boys Tennis
The Falcon boys’ tennis team weathered literal storms this week, showing resilience through a challenging stretch of matches. On Tuesday, April 22, the match against Durham Academy was delayed for over two hours before being ultimately called off due to lightning in the area.
O’Neal vs Fayetteville Academy: FINAL 4-5, L
The weather caused similar issues on Wednesday, April 23, during the matchup with Fayetteville Academy. This time, the storm eventually cleared, allowing the boys to compete in a shortened format. The Falcons came up just short in a tight 5–4 loss. Singles wins were posted by Ethan Kim and Joseph Lucas. In doubles, Ethan Kim and Noah Bass, as well as Chris Walters and Joseph Lucas, secured victories.
O’Neal vs Fayetteville Christian School: FINAL 9-0, W
The team bounced back impressively on Thursday, April 24, with a commanding 9–0 win on the road against Fayetteville Christian. Singles wins were earned by Noah Bass, Chris Walters, Nathan Reifenstahl, Jacob Lian, Harrison O’Connor, and Shahir Batterjee. In doubles, Ethan Kim and Noah Bass, Nathan Reifenstahl and Chris Walters, and Jacob Lian and Harrison O’Connor all posted wins. The Falcons will continue their season next week with three matches, beginning on Monday, May 1, with an away contest at Gaston Day School.
Varsity Track & Field:
The Falcon Track & Field team competed in their second-to-last regular season meet on Tuesday, April 23rd, hosted by Cary Academy. Despite the threat of storms, the weather held out and provided ideal conditions for competition, and the team took full advantage.
Athletes continued to show steady improvement across events. Jacob Lindsey dropped four seconds off his previous best in the 400m, clocking in at a new all-time personal record of 1:02. In the discus, Murphy Stanton had a major breakthrough, adding over nine feet to his previous best. The middle school 4x100m relay team made their debut in the event and executed flawless hand-offs — smooth enough to rival even the high school relay teams.
With just one meet remaining in the regular season, all eyes are now on the upcoming final chance to qualify for the State Track & Field Championship on May 16th. Currently, ten Falcons are ranked in the top 24 statewide and are well-positioned to secure their spots at the state meet. The momentum is strong as the team heads into the final stretch of the season.
Varsity Boys Golf:
O’Neal vs Union Pines and North Moore: FINAL 161-168-172, W
The O’Neal boys’ varsity golf team played in a tri-team match on April 22 at the Country Club of Whispering Pines River Course. Their competitors included Union Pines and North Moore. Due to the weather, the match was reduced to 9 holes, with the lowest four team scores counting. Dylan Wolfe led the Falcons with a 3-over par 39, followed by Zeyu Zhao and Andrew Hobbs at 41 and Jack Manning at 42. O’Neal won the event over Union Pines by seven strokes and North Moore by 11 strokes. The Falcons head to Treyburn Country Club in Durham next week for the NC High School Invitational.
Falcon Athletics Looking Ahead – 4/28/25 - 5/2/25
Teams must win to continue in conference tournament play.
Teams must win to continue in conference tournament play.
DAY | DATE | OPPONENT | SPORT | H/A | EVENT TIME |
MON | 4/28/2025 | Faith Christian School | BTN | HOME | 3:30 PM |
MON | 4/28/2025 | SEMSAC SEMI FINALS vs FCS | MSBASE | HOME | 4:00 PM |
TUE | 4/29/2025 | SAC Quarter Finals vs Village Christian | BASE | AWAY | 6:00 PM |
TUE | 4/29/2025 | North Carolina High School Invitational @ Treyburn Country Club | BGOLF | AWAY | 11:00AM |
TUE | 4/29/2025 | Grace Christian Raleigh | BTN | HOME | 3:30 PM |
TUE | 4/29/2025 | St. Mary Magdalene Catholic School | MSGOLF | HOME | 3:20PM |
TUE | 4/29/2025 | SEMSAC SEMI FINALS @ Village | MSGSOC | AWAY | 4:00 PM |
WED | 4/30/2025 | Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill | T&F | AWAY | 2:30PM |
THU | 5/1/2025 | SAC SEMI FINALS | BASE | TBD | TBD |
THU | 5/1/2025 | Gaston Day School at Gaston Country Club | BTN | AWAY | 3:00 PM |
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