Falcons Nest - March 31st

The pristine fairways of the Dogwood Course at the Country Club of North Carolina were the scene of the varsity boys golf team’s latest victory.  The 3^rd ranked NCISAA golf team from Village Christian provided a stern test for the Falcons but a strong back nine catapulted the team to victory.  Pete Myers carded a one-over par 73, including six birdies, on his home course to lead the team.  Max Martin had a steady round of 77 and Jacob Graham rounded things out for the Falcons with a 79.  Over Spring Break the team will take their game on the road to compete against some of the top teams in the country at the Palmetto Championship in Pawley’s Island, SC.  Forty-eight teams from across the country will tee it up for the crown.  The team is having some well-earned success this season and is looking forward to matching up with some of the best in the region.    

O’Neal @ Salem Baptist Christian School–Win 7-1 

 

The Falcons have played seven games so far, and there are seven more to go in the regular season. The season reaches its halftime break just as the school reaches its spring break. What a great time then to reflect on the power of a moment’s rest. In almost every sport, halftime provides an opportunity to sit down, rehydrate, and rest. It also allows teams to refocus and talk about new tactics to adjust to the opponent’s playstyle. Good coaches help reset a team’s momentum, and good players start off with intensity right after a break.  

 

Halftime resets have been the greatest strength of the varsity girls soccer team. This season they’ve scored a whopping ten goals in the first five minutes after halftime of each game. Three of those came this week when O’Neal traveled to Winston-Salem to face Salem Baptist. After 40 minutes, the Falcons took a 4-0 lead into the halftime break. Despite the favorable scoreline, heads hung a bit low given how many shots had been missed or saved by the opposing keeper. But, true to form, the halftime break proved pivotal as Charli Bunder, Jaleesa Eichel, and Peyton Smitherman each scored in the 42^nd, 43^rd, and 44^th minutes respectively. With such a resounding lead secured, they began rotating players into new positions, and the game ended 7-1.  

 

As O’Neal heads into its spring break, the Falcons will need to use this break to rest and recharge. They return to action the first day back from break traveling to conference rivals, Trinity of Durham and Chapel Hill on 4/11. They’ll then host Carolina Friends on Friday 4/14 and begin the push toward the playoffs.  

 

O’Neal 7 - Cary Christian 2

 

Coming from behind in several matches, the Falcons won several tiebreakers to make the score look like an easy win.  All matches were close with very long rallies.  Will Kitchens, Owen Williams, Chris Walters, and Noah Bass advance their unbeaten streak in singles to 5 wins each.   Will Kitchens and Ethan Kim are 5 and 0 at first doubles.

 

O'Neal 6 - Burlington Christian 3

 

Coming out of doubles, the Falcons were winning 3-0.  At that time, it was decided that #1 player Will Kitchens and #3 player Ethan Kim would sit out the singles competition to allow some of our younger players to gain valuable experience as well as have others to play up against the better competition.  This resulted in the Falcons splitting the singles match 3-3.  The first doubles team of Kitchens/Kim and Noah Bass continued their unbeaten going to 6 wins and no losses.  The team will be idle during next week's spring break and will return to action on Tuesday, April 11 with a home match against Trinity/Chapel Hill.

 

O'Neal 15 vs Salem Baptist 0

 

On Tuesday, O'Neal faced off against conference foe Salem Baptist in Clemmons, NC. The bats remained hot for the Falcons, who pounded out 17 hits. Will Slagle led the charge, going 4 for 4, while the brothers Pavlovich, Jacob Bates, and Ricky Mullis all contributed two hits apiece. Riley Norton, in his first game back from injury, also added a three-run home run to start the festivities. On the mound, June Thomas pitched a gem, allowing two hits while striking out seven. The Falcons are at home vs. Burlington Christian Academy to close out the first half of the season before Spring Break. 

O’Neal MS Baseball has found its rhythm going into spring break. Their hard work and perseverance continue to shine on the field each practice and each game as the boys are determined to make a statement this season.   

(W) O’Neal vs (L)Village Christian  

 

 

 

 

The Falcons' pitching staff continues to dominate each week. Jackson Mullis pitched 3 innings, giving up 2 hits, 3 runs and delivering 5 strikeouts. Our big lefty Sam Taylor finished the win pitching 2 innings, allowing 1 hit, 1 run, and closing the game with 3 strikeouts. Offensively, O’Neal remains in control drawing 19 walks on the day. Jaxon Graves led the team with 2 hits and 3 RBIs. Jackson Mullis flew around the bases with 5 steals, followed by Camden Harrell with 3. AJ Peal and Sam Taylor each had 2 stolen bases.  

 

(W) O’Neal vs (L)Sandhills Christian  

 

 

 

 

The week ends with a big conference win over SCCS. Parker Maxwell delivered 2 innings from the mound allowing 1 hit and 1 run with 2 strike outs. Andrew Gulley finished the game pitching 1 inning and allowing the defensive to finish the game. It was a big day for the O’Neal bats! AJ Peal led the team with an in-the-park home run. He went 3 for 3 on the day with 4 RBIs. Jackson Mullis followed up with 3 for 3 and two RBIs. Christian Baker was 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs. Jaxson Graves went 2 for 2 with 4 RBIs and a textbook headfirst slide into second base. 16 hits on the day for O’Neal cut the game short after 3 innings for the win.  

The Falcons will return from spring break with a challenging task of 4 games in 7 days. Trinity School of Durham: away 14 Apr, Cape Fear Christian: home 17 Apr, West Pine Middle: away 18 Apr, Freedom Christian: away 20 Apr.  

This Wednesday, the Falcons hosted Sandhills Classical in a SEMSAC conference match-up. The Falcons broke free early behind a well-placed goal from Ella Vonderkall. However, moments later SCCS countered quickly tying the game at 1-1. The Falcons showed their grit and began stringing together passes and saw multiple opportunities on game. Sydney Davis added two goals to close the half bringing the Falcons the 3-1 advantage.

 

After halftime, the Falcons continued to maintain possession and dominate play seeing Paige Fusonie and Malia Stone add to the Falcon attack on the afternoon. Moments before the final buzzer, SCCS tallied a final goal finishing the match with 5-2 victory for the Falcons. The Falcons will go into the Spring Break undefeated on the season and look for some well deserved rest and recovery. They will return to the field on Friday, April 14^th at Trinity School of Durham for a fun jamboree-style afternoon playing matches against Trinity School and TDS.