Falcons Nest - March 10th

Lulu Brase, Assistant Athletic Director
The Spring season is officially underway and Falcon teams hit the fields, courts and courses this week to open their season with strong victories! Track and Field and Boys Tennis will kick off their competitions next week.
Varsity Girls Soccer 
  • O’Neal vs. Berean Baptist School – Win 9-0 
  • O’Neal Vs. Burlington Christian Academy – Win 4-0 
 
Just as the pollen has found its home on our windshields, so too has the ball found its home in the back of the net at O’Neal. Spring is upon us, and the girls varsity soccer team has blossomed to life in their first two games of the season. A commanding 9-0 home win against Berean Baptist and a decisive 4-0 victory against conference rivals, Burlington Christian Academy, made for an emphatic start to the season. 
 
The flurry of goals truly has been a team effort with seven different Falcons adding their names to the scorelines. Sophomore, Charli Bunder, has led the scoring with four goals across the two games; she’s followed by senior, Peyton Smitherman, with three; Jordin Reed has two to her name as well; Jaleesa Eichel, Emeli Michael, Gianna Maheu, and Allie Webb have also seen their efforts successful.  
 
The team will plan to add to their total of goals and wins next week when playing two more home games. They face the Burlington School on Tuesday 3/14 and Village Christian Academy on Thursday 3/16. Both games kick off at O’Neal at 4pm. Next week’s weather may not promise to return to the warm splendor of spring, but the soccer team will keep its early-season vitality strong.  
 
Varsity Boys Golf
The boys golf team began their season by claiming the title at the first Tri-TAC match of the season at the Donald Ross classic Hope Valley Country Club in Durham, NC.  Pete Myers bombed the driver all the way around the course and claimed medalist honors with a score of 71 on the day. Finishing just one shot behind Myers, with an impressive 72, was newcomer Nick Joyce. In all, six O’Neal golfers shot 77 or below to post a dominant team win over all other competitors. The team has been working hard all off-season and has gotten off to a hot start.  Things will heat up this weekend when they travel to the Country Club of Salisbury where they will tee it up against the top teams in the state, both public and private, in the 9th North State High School Boys Challenge.   
Varsity Boys Baseball
  • O'Neal vs Berean Baptist 20 – 1 (W)
  • O'Neal vs Freedom Christian 0-5 (L)
O'Neal came out of the gate swinging against Berean Baptist in their season opener. O'Neal pounded out eleven hits, two of which were home runs (Jacob Bates and Riley Norton). Jake Shepherd and Will Slagle added doubles, and the whole team contributed to the effort. On the mound, June Thomas pitched two scoreless innings, recording five strikeouts and no walks. It was a great win and a great way to open the season. 
 
Just one day later, O'Neal lost a tough one to a very talented Freedom Christian team. The pitching and defense were solid, but the bats went cold, especially in critical situations with runners on base. Jacob Bates pitched well, as did Jake Shepherd in relief. The Falcons have a few days off before taking on a tough Village Christian team. 
 
Middle School Girls Soccer
  • O’Neal vs Fayetteville Christian – 1-0 (W) 
After a long preseason, the Falcons hit the pitch for the season's first game against Fayetteville Christian. The Falcons came out with lots of energy and earned multiple opportunities at goal. Finally, 7th grader Sydney Davis broke through on a pass from Paige Fusonie to give the Falcons the lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the half. The Falcons continued to have scoring opportunities throughout the contest but couldn’t capitalize. The Falcon defense led by Captains Chesley Lucas and Lindsey Havenstein held tough throughout the second half as Fayetteville Christian mounted a few attacks. In the end, the Falcons grabbed the hard-fought 1-0 victory to kick off conference play with a victory.

The Falcons return to the field next Wednesday, March 15th as they host Village Christian for a 3:30 pm kick-off.
Middle School Golf
The Falcons kicked off their season in a four-team match at Knightsplay in Cary NC this Tuesday. The Falcons came out on top beating Envision Science Academy, St. Timothy’s School, and Thales Academy. The low round for the Falcons was shot by Natalia Henderson, who was the medalist for the afternoon shooting a 29. Trevor Franklin and Wells Kuester were the other low scorers shooting 32s on the afternoon. The Falcons return to the course on Tuesday for a home match against St. David’s and SJPII.
Middle School Boys Baseball
The Falcons powered through two challenging weeks of exams and intense practices.  Their hard work and perseverance shined as they were tested both physically and mentally, on and off the field. The new indoor batting cage and practice space in Tate Gym proved to be a tremendous impact allowing the boys to continue to practice in inclement weather and adapt to the varsity home game schedule. This week’s victory gives new Head Baseball Coach, Casey Harrell, a positive outlook for a successful season.
Game 1: - (W) O’Neal vs Fayetteville Christian
 
RUNS
HITS
RBIs
BB
SO
O’Neal
11
5
5
12
4
Fay Christian
1
0
0
3
12
 
 
 
O’Neal pitched a combined no-hitter on the day. Jackson Mullis pitched 4 innings delivering 9 strikeouts and Jaxson Graves completed 1 inning delivering 3 strikeouts. Additionally, O’Neal scored 11 runs on 5 hits and dominated the basepath with 13 stolen bases. Sam Taylor (3), Camden Harrell, AJ Peal, and Jordan Cole with 2 each. The entire roster contributed to game day success as everyone played a vital role on opening day.
The team takes on Village Christian at home next week on March 15th.
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