Falcons Nest - September 4
A Quick Week for Falcon Athletics
Middle School Cross Country
The Middle School Cross Country teams battled a challenging course and scorching heat during Tuesday’s two-mile season opener at Freedom Christian Academy. Both the girls and boys showed determination throughout the race, with each team earning a second-place finish.
The Middle School Cross Country teams battled a challenging course and scorching heat during Tuesday’s two-mile season opener at Freedom Christian Academy. Both the girls and boys showed determination throughout the race, with each team earning a second-place finish.
For the girls, sixth graders Landis Holwerda and Avery Polymeyer led the way, both finishing inside the top five. It was an impressive team effort from a young group, with five sixth graders making their cross-country debuts: Landis Holwerda, Nora Owsiany, Ava Rose Decker, Madeleine Beckman, and Sadie Duffy.
This young and exciting team showed plenty of potential in its first meet of the season.
On the boys team, sixth grader William Schupp led the Falcons, followed by Will Chalker, Cash Davies, and Aiden Wilcox. All four O’Neal runners finished inside the top seven, helping the boys secure second place overall; just three points behind the first-place team.
This determined group showed that its runners will continue pushing one another and improving throughout the season.
The Falcons return to competition at Fayetteville Christian School on September 24, followed by the Oxford Children’s Home meet on September 26.
Varsity Cross Country
The Varsity Cross Country team opened its season this week with a 5K at Freedom Christian Academy, competing against five other teams from the conference. The race provided a tough early-season test, as temperatures soared and the heat made for especially demanding conditions on the course. With a young roster this season, the team entered the meet with plenty of new faces and new experiences, as five of the seven varsity athletes were racing a 5K for the first time. The excitement of competition can make it easy to start the race too aggressively, especially during the opening mile, but the athletes showed determination as they battled through the challenging conditions and pushed themselves all the way to the finish. Despite the difficulties, the team demonstrated plenty of grit and mental toughness, giving them a strong foundation to build upon. The season opener provided a valuable first look at where the team stands and highlighted the areas to focus on as they prepare for their next meet.
Varsity Girls Tennis
O'Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: Final 9-0, Win
On Tuesday, the Lady Falcons delivered a strong performance against Fayetteville Christian School, earning a 9–0 victory and sweeping every singles and doubles line.
On Tuesday, the Lady Falcons delivered a strong performance against Fayetteville Christian School, earning a 9–0 victory and sweeping every singles and doubles line.
In singles play, the Falcons were outstanding from top to bottom. Vivienne Rhue opened the day with a 6–1, 6–2 victory at Line 1. Beth Cordero battled through a competitive first set before pulling away for a 7–5, 6–1 win. Valentina Roberts, Sydney Davis, Izzy Grotzke, and Kennedy Aytes each turned in commanding performances, dropping just two games combined across their four matches.
Singles Results
- Vivienne Rhue: 6–1, 6–2
- Beth Cordero: 7–5, 6–1
- Valentina Roberts: 6–0, 6–0
- Sydney Davis: 6–1, 6–0
- Izzy Grotzke: 6–0, 6–0
- Kennedy Aytes: 6–0, 6–0
The Falcons carried that momentum into doubles competition and completed the sweep with three convincing victories.
Doubles Results
Doubles Results
- Line 1: Vivienne Rhue/Beth Cordero won 8–3
- Line 2: Olivia Hostler/Izzy Grotzke won 8–2
- Line 3: Maddie Wicks/Kennedy Aytes won 8–2
In exhibition play, Maddie Hostler competed in her first-ever singles match and showed tremendous determination. She stepped outside her comfort zone, battled to a hard-fought 5–5 tie, and gained valuable experience while competing confidently throughout the match. The Lady Falcons return to competition following the Labor Day holiday.
Middle School Boys Soccer:
O'Neal School vs Fayetteville Christian School 1-7, Loss
The Middle School Boys Soccer team hosted a strong Fayetteville Christian School squad on Tuesday afternoon. The Falcons entered the match with a clear plan to play out of the back and build through each third of the field. There were moments when that approach came together, but Fayetteville Christian’s speed and pressure made it difficult for O’Neal to maintain consistently.
Goalkeepers Anderson Cloninger and Knox VanScoyoc both stepped up under a heavy workload, making several strong saves throughout the match. The Falcons also continued pushing forward and were able to find the back of the net once.
While the opponent presented a difficult challenge, the match also highlighted areas where the Falcons can continue to grow—particularly in supporting one another, tracking back, competing for loose balls, and staying committed to their style of play under pressure. Those will be important points of emphasis in training next week, and they are areas in which every player on the roster is capable of improving.
O'Neal School vs Fayetteville Christian School 1-7, Loss
The Middle School Boys Soccer team hosted a strong Fayetteville Christian School squad on Tuesday afternoon. The Falcons entered the match with a clear plan to play out of the back and build through each third of the field. There were moments when that approach came together, but Fayetteville Christian’s speed and pressure made it difficult for O’Neal to maintain consistently.
Goalkeepers Anderson Cloninger and Knox VanScoyoc both stepped up under a heavy workload, making several strong saves throughout the match. The Falcons also continued pushing forward and were able to find the back of the net once.
While the opponent presented a difficult challenge, the match also highlighted areas where the Falcons can continue to grow—particularly in supporting one another, tracking back, competing for loose balls, and staying committed to their style of play under pressure. Those will be important points of emphasis in training next week, and they are areas in which every player on the roster is capable of improving.
Varsity Boys Soccer:
O’Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: 1-4, Loss
The O’Neal School Boys Varsity Soccer team returned home this week for its 2026 home opener against the Fayetteville Christian School Warriors, looking to bounce back after a difficult stretch of road matches.
O’Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: 1-4, Loss
The O’Neal School Boys Varsity Soccer team returned home this week for its 2026 home opener against the Fayetteville Christian School Warriors, looking to bounce back after a difficult stretch of road matches.
Although the Falcons ultimately fell, the final score did not fully reflect the quality of O’Neal’s performance. The team played some of their best soccer of the young season, moving the ball well, creating dangerous opportunities and competing throughout the match. At times, however, brief lapses in focus proved costly, while the team’s fitness is still working its way toward where it needs to be over a full 80 minutes. Fayetteville Christian took advantage of those moments, and O’Neal found itself chasing the game despite creating several excellent scoring opportunities of its own.
The Falcons’ breakthrough came through Carson Rodriguez, who was brought down inside the penalty area before stepping to the spot and converting the resulting penalty kick. O’Neal continued to press for more.
Captain Andrew Miller, Parker Fusonie and Rodriguez all produced dangerous efforts on goal, only to be denied by an outstanding performance from the Fayetteville Christian goalkeeper. On several occasions, the Warriors’ keeper produced saves worthy of the highest praise, preventing the Falcons from turning their pressure into the goals their attacking play deserved.
O’Neal continued to battle until the final whistle, but the additional breakthrough never came. Despite the 4-1 defeat, there were plenty of positives for the Falcons to take from the match. The attacking chances were there, the quality of play continued to improve, and the performance demonstrated that O’Neal is capable of causing problems when its concentration and execution remain consistent.
The challenge now is turning those good stretches of soccer into complete performances.
The Falcons remain at home for two matches next week, beginning with an important conference matchup against Freedom Christian Academy on Thursday, September 10 at 5:00 p.m. O’Neal will then turn around the following day for a non-conference match against Cape Fear Christian Academy on Friday, September 11 at 5:00 p.m. With two opportunities at home in two days, the Falcons will look to turn their improved play into results.
Middle School Volleyball:
O'Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: Final 0-2, Loss (12-25, 9-25)
The Middle School Volleyball team faced a strong opponent in its first home match of the season. After the captains won the opening serve, the Falcons showed several encouraging signs, including improved serve reception and better awareness when tracking the ball all the way to the end of a play.
O'Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: Final 0-2, Loss (12-25, 9-25)
The Middle School Volleyball team faced a strong opponent in its first home match of the season. After the captains won the opening serve, the Falcons showed several encouraging signs, including improved serve reception and better awareness when tracking the ball all the way to the end of a play.
Evelyn Scogin delivered several strong serves, while Arya found success with well-placed tips and Kayla McWhinney contributed strong attacks at the net. The Falcons also created some impressive extended rallies, working together to make multiple plays rather than simply sending the ball back over on the first contact.
The team faced a difficult start in the second set, falling behind 16–0, but continued competing and played its opponent evenly over the remainder of the set before falling 25–9. That response showed resilience and growth from a young team learning how to settle in, trust one another, and keep battling against strong competition.
Varsity Volleyball:
O'Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: Final 0-3, Loss (12-25, 13-25, 20-25)
The Falcons hosted Fayetteville Christian School on Tuesday, September 1st, attacking and serving aggressively throughout the night. O'Neal put steady pressure on their opponent from the service line and attacked with confidence, generating quality scoring opportunities across all three sets. With both of the Falcons' setters unavailable, Lily Austin stepped into the position for the first time and did an outstanding job running the offense and keeping O'Neal in system. Layla Duffy showed up behind the service line putting up 4 aces and had a 92% serve rating! O'Neal closed strong in the third set, battling to a 20-25 finish in their most competitive set of the season. The Falcons return to action Tuesday, September 8th, traveling to Trinity Christian for a 5pm start.
Photos by Wendy Hodges | The Pines Media
O'Neal vs. Fayetteville Christian School: Final 0-3, Loss (12-25, 13-25, 20-25)
The Falcons hosted Fayetteville Christian School on Tuesday, September 1st, attacking and serving aggressively throughout the night. O'Neal put steady pressure on their opponent from the service line and attacked with confidence, generating quality scoring opportunities across all three sets. With both of the Falcons' setters unavailable, Lily Austin stepped into the position for the first time and did an outstanding job running the offense and keeping O'Neal in system. Layla Duffy showed up behind the service line putting up 4 aces and had a 92% serve rating! O'Neal closed strong in the third set, battling to a 20-25 finish in their most competitive set of the season. The Falcons return to action Tuesday, September 8th, traveling to Trinity Christian for a 5pm start.
Photos by Wendy Hodges | The Pines Media
Falcon Athletics Next Week 9/7/26 - 9/11/26
DAY | DATE | OPPONENT | SPORT | H/A | EVENT TIME |
TUE | 9/8/2026 | Village Christian Academy Gates Four | GGOLF | Away | 1:00pm |
TUE | 9/8/2026 | Westchester Country Day @ High Point Country Club | GTN | Away | 4:00pm |
TUE | 9/8/2026 | St. Patrick's | MSBSOC | Away | 4:00pm |
TUE | 9/8/2026 | St. Patrick's | MSVB | Away | 4:00pm |
TUE | 9/8/2026 | Trinity Christian@John D Fuller Athletic Complex | VB | Away | 5:00pm |
THU | 9/10/2026 | Freedom Christian | MSBSOC | Home | 3:30pm |
THU | 9/10/2026 | Freedom Christian | MSVB | Home | 3:30pm |
THU | 9/10/2026 | Freedom Christian | BSOC | Home | 5:00pm |
THU | 9/10/2026 | Freedom Christian | VB | Home | 5:00pm |
FRI | 9/11/2026 | Cape Fear Christian | GTN | Away | 4:15pm |
FRI | 9/11/2026 | Cape Fear Christian | BSOC | Home | 5:00pm |
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