Falcons Nest
The Falcons had a stellar week of competition. The Athletics Department recognizes senior student-athlete Juliana Grimm.
Senior Athlete Spotlight
The athletics department would like to extend congratulations to our senior student-athletes. The department is very proud of their accomplishments and the bright futures ahead of them. This week we honor Juliana Grimm with a spotlight on her career as an O’Neal athlete.
Juliana Grimm, Varsity Girls Soccer
Juliana will attend North Carolina State University where she earned a 3-year scholarship with the US Army ROTC Program.
Quick Facts About Juliana
Number of years at O’Neal: 6
Sports played at O’Neal: Varsity Basketball, Varsity Soccer, Varsity Volleyball
College or University she plans to attend: North Carolina State University (Army ROTC Scholarship Award recipient)
Major or preferred course of study: Global Studies, Business, and Russian with ROTC
Favorite quote: "Nothing in life is permanent, except for change."
Best O’Neal Athletics memory: When my toe went sideways [during a game].
News from Athletics
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” - C.S. Lewis
Varsity Boys Golf
Due to inclement weather, the Falcons Golf team did not compete on Monday this week. Yesterday, the team played a friendly match against Pinecrest High School. The Falcons look to resume match play on Monday, April 15th as they host St. David’s School and Grace Christian School Raleigh at Pinehurst Country Club. Tee off is 1:30 PM. Below is the complete match schedule for next week:
Monday, April 15 - Match vs. St. David’s at #9, tee times starting at 1:30
Tuesday, April 16 - Match vs Pinecrest at #2, start at 3:00
Thursday, April 18th - Match vs North Raleigh Christian at Lonnie Poole GC
Varsity Girls Soccer
The rainy weather subsided for the Falcons this week, allowing them to return to the game pitch. Tuesday, the Falcons traveled to Trinity School in Durham, NC for a conference match-up. Falcons started on a strong note connecting passes throughout the opening minutes. The Lions broke through scoring 5 goals on the evening, but the Falcons never let up. Going into half time, senior Sarah McInnis broke through the back line to knock in the Falcons only goal on the afternoon. The game finished with a score of 1-5 in favor of the Lions of Trinity School.
After a strong practice, Wednesday in the performance room and soccer field the Falcons were excited to head to Harrell’s Christian School Thursday afternoon. On a quick playing field, both teams saw numerous chances to capitalize but no one could quite break through. After the 20-minute golden goal overtime, the game moved to penalty kicks. Seniors Alex Dymond, Macon McIntyre, and Madison Salloum all knocked home goals in the penalty kick round. Junior keeper Sarah Massey put together another tremendous performance in goal saving two penalty kicks. In the end, the Falcons came out victorious with a 3-2 advantage in penalty kicks over HCA. The win moves the Falcons to 2-3-1 on the season.
The Falcons will return to the pitch next Tuesday at home to face Carolina Friends.
Varsity Boys Tennis
Boys tennis defeated Trinity Academy of Durham and Chapel Hill 7-2 on the road, Tuesday this week. Another decisive victory to keep the team's undefeated streak going! Next week the Falcons will face Wayne Country Day on Monday, April 15th at 3:30 PM and Carolina Friends on Tuesday, April 16th at 4:00 PM at home. Go Falcons!
Boys tennis defeated Trinity Academy of Durham and Chapel Hill 7-2 on the road, Tuesday this week. Another decisive victory to keep the team's undefeated streak going! Next week the Falcons will face Wayne Country Day on Monday, April 15th at 3:30 PM and Carolina Friends on Tuesday, April 16th at 4:00 PM at home. Go Falcons!
Varsity Track and Field
On Saturday, April 6th, the Track and Field team competed in the Pepsi Invitational hosted by Southern Lee High School in Sanford.
Reflections from Head Coach Matt McMurry:
"Weekends like this are why I love this sport. Amidst the top performances and incredible improvement demonstrated yesterday by our team at Southern Lee High School, it's the acts of heart that impress me the most. Watching Davis Lincicome, a 7th grader, in a 200m heat with boys 3-5 years older and 80lbs. bigger, and seeing him dig with every piece of himself from gun to tape - that's what it's all about. Watching Andrew Phan, a senior, whose commitment to this sport since fall 2017 led to him breaking the 8:00 barrier yesterday as he clocked a 7:55.72 1600m PR - there are few better feelings. And seeing Taz Ahmed, Jaden Bozovich, and Sarah Elmore, though not competing, choosing to be out and supporting their teammates at the meet - that's what builds a family."
Team and Individual Highlights:
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28 - the number of Personal or Season Bests set by our team
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Molly Kuzma, a sophomore, won the 3200m in a season-best time of 11:35.75. That time currently ranks Molly 1st in NCISAA Div. III and 2nd All-NCISAA.
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Bryce Samples, a senior, finished 2nd in the 3200m in a personal-best time of 10:12.22. That time currently ranks Bryce 1st in NCISAA Div. III and 6th All-NCISAA.
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Ralayah McRae, a senior, finished 4th in the shot put. Ralayah's season-best mark of 30-7 currently ranks her 2nd in NCISAA Div. III and 6th All-NCISAA.
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For full meet results visit: https://nc.milesplit.com/meets/327418/results/638609/formatted#.XKtPTBNKiuV
Thursday, April 11th, the Falcons will travel to American Hebrew Academy where they will host various in conference teams.
Middle School Baseball
The O'Neal Middle School baseball team played two longtime SEMSAC rivals this week. On Wednesday in Fayetteville, the boys took it on the chin 17-4 at Village Christian. Will Slagle was a bright spot with two hits, including a double. On Thursday, at home, the local boys got back in the win column with a resounding 22-1 victory over Fayetteville Christian. Every player on the team saw game action. William Slagle ‘24 was stellar on the mound, Jamieson Mansker ‘23 was solid behind the plate, and Jacob Shepherd ‘25 sparkled at shortstop and in the batter's box. The Falcons showed great passion and resilience in bouncing back from the big loss and looked sharp on the field and in the dugout.
Middle School Golf
Middle School Golf got off to a strong start in their 1st match of the season. Braving cool temperatures and a pesky rain, O’Neal’s young golfers, consisting of 6th and 7th graders, beat St. John Paul II in a close contest. The final team’s score of 202 was 2 shots better than SJPII of 204. Jake Shepard (48), Lauren Kuhn (50), Joanna Hu (50) and Harrison Franklin (54) lead the way for the Falcons.
The middle school golf team is working hard in preparation for their first match of the season on Wednesday, March 20th as they host neighboring school Saint Pope John Paul II at Longleaf Golf and Family Club. Tee off is at 3:30 PM.
Middle School Girls Soccer
Middle School Girls Soccer played Fayetteville Christian Academy for the second time this season in a scrimmage on Tuesday. The Falcons won 6-0. Hannah Saye ‘24, Reese Slusher ‘23, Anna Huge ‘23, Charlotte Renner ‘23 and Amanda McFadyen ‘23 (2) scored the goals of the game. Isabella Liberatore ‘23 played a solid defensive position in the second half, blocking several breakaway attempts and Kaylee Crow ‘25 was aggressive and quick playing forward.
On Wednesday, the team played their final away game of the regular season against St. Pope John Paul III. The Falcons won 5-0. Hannah Saye ‘24, Sam Wolf ‘23, Anna Huge ‘23 (2) scored the goals. The team looks to finish out the regular season with two home games on Tuesday, April 23 versus Fayetteville Christian School and Thursday, April 25th versus Ascend Leadership Academy. Both games will commence at 4:00 PM.
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