Falcon's Nest - MidSeason Matters

Cross Country
The O'Neal Cross Country team raced at Cedarock Park in Burlington on Monday, September 16. Corbin Weeks and Gunnar Adams represented the middle school squad with 4th and 15th place finishes respectively. Corbin's 11:54 was a personal record for the season.

The varsity team saw another great performance in Nathan Brianas's 7th place finish. Charlie Kuzma, Jamieson Mansker and Matthew Ryals competed well on a brutally hot and technical course.

On the girls' side, Julia Filby posted a solid time with 27:45 and earned a 14th place finish. The girls had some tight pack running in Kalindi Vaswani, Bella Mellar, Morin Samples, Ana Huesa and Meghan Brianas. The spread for runners 2-4 was 17 seconds.

The team is back in action Saturday at the Hare and Hounds Invitational at Charlotte McAlpine Park.

Middle School Soccer
7-1 Victory for MS Boys over Freedom Christian

Julien Mazzarulli led the scoring with a first half hat-trick, quickly putting the game out of reach. Jack Habets, Graham Webb, Henry Neville, and Alex Martin each added a goal as O'Neal controlled the flow of play throughout the contest. Robert Everts stepped up as goalie and made a couple strong saves to preserve the lead. David White, Harry Franklin, and Kenan Van Skoyoc helped O'Neal to move the ball effectively and maintain possession.

Next Opponent: Fayetteville Academy, Sept 27th, Home

Varsity Soccer
Varsity Soccer: O'Neal Falcon’s vs Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill
Final score: 0-4 loss

The Falcons played a tough match today in what was probably one of their best performances of the season. The defense was noticeably better, and multiples offensive chances were created including a ball that John Yonkovich headed off the crossbar. In addition to the better play, the team also exhibited a new level of energy. Luke Harper and Clayton Manning particularly stood out in this area of new energy and improvement. While the final result did not end in the Falcon’s favor, the team should be proud of their effort and development. The team’s next game will be played at home against Carolina Friends on Tuesday, September 24, at 4pm.

Middle School Volleyball
Game vs. Freedom Christian (Win 2-0)
Match #1—(25-18, 25-21)
Match #2—(25-13, 25-20)

The Falcons kicked off class trip week with a strong home victory over conference opponent Freedom Christian. After a sluggish start to the match, Michaela Stone helped turn the tide with her fierce serves. Michaela Stone, along with fellow 7th grader Mia Millard, dominated the front row attack with numerous kills each. 8th graders Macy Cheek and Sara Jacobs, along with 7th grader Judy Goetzl added timely back row digs to spark the Falcon defense. Overall, the Falcon victory moves them to a strong 11-3 on the season heading into their break for class trips.

The Falcons will return to the court Monday, September 23rd at Saint John Paul II for their next conference match.

JV Volleyball
O’Neal - 2
Trinity Of Durham Chapel Hill - 0

Our JV Falcons traveled to Durham on Monday, September 16th to face Trinity of Durham Chapel Hill. Playing with no substitutions, the girls rallied around a completely new line up and put their ability to overcome to the test. Necessary patience with just the right tinge of urgency, consistent serving, a few massive solo blocks and the desire to not let any ball drop saw JV volleyball bringing home another win!

Next week we will host Carolina Friends on Tuesday, September 24th and Salem Baptist on Thursday, September 26th. Both games start at 4pm in the Hannah Center.

Varsity Volleyball
vs. Trinity of Durham/Chapel Hill Monday-September 16th
The O'Neal School 1 (25-18)
Trinity Academy 3 (25-22 ; 25-17; 25-21)

Our Lady Falcons traveled to Trinity of Durham/Chapel Hill to compete in conference. We came out strong, easily winning the first match of the night with quick feet, incredible digs, big blocks, hard attacks and consistently powerful serves. The next three matches proved challenging, as we found ourselves working our way out of a deficit. Our ladies would rally, and fight every point, however some rallies came too late. Regardless, it was a strong stance vs. a top conference team. We look forward to competing against Trinity on our home court, proving what it takes to come out on top.

Following class trips, Lady Varsity Volleyball will return to the court, competing vs. Carolina Friends Tuesday, September 24th @5:15pm and Salem Baptist Christian School Thursday, September 26th @5:15pm. Both matches are home, in the Hannah Center Gym. Please come support us!

Varsity Girls Golf
After a week enjoying class trips, The O’Neal School’s girls golf team return to action this week with back to back matches against Pinecrest (on Tuesday, 9/24) and St. David’s (on Wednesday, 9/25).