Of all the student-athletes in the facility April 17 for the Gene Kobus Perry Relays, perhaps no one is more acutely aware of the ebb and flow that is a state charge in 4×800-meter relay as Holly Vis. The Perry senior has seen both sides of it over the course of her career, as the Pirates embarked on state pushes in 2022 and 2023 but missed out last spring. Vis, and by extension Perry of course, are hopeful to get back to what she saw in the early half of her Pirates’ tenure. As part of a comprehensive performance, with Perry securing the Division B team crown with 128 points, what might have yielded the most hope heading into the back half of April was girls 4×8. Here are my usual NH area video meet highlights, this time from Perry Relays(TBH, my PV/LJ timing was absolutely brutal today … otherwise, not bad; story will be shared in a moment) pic.twitter.com/IqlKqSP6oq — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) April 12, 2025 The quartet of Vis, Audrey Morgan-Ard, Aleigha Granchi and Anna Holp nailed down the best time across both divisions in the event, hitting the line in 10 minutes, 19.99 seconds. Coming into this invitational Saturday, no News-Herald coverage area girls 4×8 had gone sub-10:20 in the early going. That has now changed. Vis has been a constant on the relay since Day 1 as personnel has shifted around her. So seeing the quartet threatening for deeper in the 10s so soon is worth the sense of optimism. “Today, we changed up the order a little bit, which I think definitely helped us,” Vis said. “Audrey and I got us in a good lead, then Anna held on and then we had Aleigha as the fourth leg. And she did really well. I think that definitely helped, us changing it up. We’ve only ran it a couple times this season, since it’s only the beginning. I feel like we definitely have a lot of room for improvement. I’m excited to see what we’ll do. “It’s really encouraging to know that we have a lot of potential still throughout this season.” In 2022 and 2023, in Vis’ freshman and sophomore campaigns, Perry got its girls 4×8 to state as a Division II at-large qualifier. That taught Vis plenty, lessons she’s seeking to impart on those who don’t necessarily have the state-charge experience to the extent she does. “I’d say definitely changing up the order and not sticking with the same thing, like every week,” Vis said. “Because you can see what works out well for the better of each person and what’s best for each runner. Kind of figuring out which leg is best for you. I kind of figured out, the past couple of years, the first leg is best for me. But that can always change. We’ll see what happens.” Last spring at the D-II Austintown-Fitch Regional, the Pirates were able to get a sub-10 and place fifth. But on this occasion, it didn’t translate to an at-large for state. Vis knows better than anyone what it requires — deep sub-10 if at all possible at minimum. Going 10:19 on a bitterly cold April morning shows much more could be there. As far as Perry’s totality from a team standpoint, among the highlights in a field-event sweep were dynamic freshman shot putter Emily Mechenbier leading the Pirates to the Division B team title in the event with the top individual throw, a beyond-her-years toss of 39 feet, one-half inch. Perry also got gold on the track from its distance medley (13:42.05) and sprint medley (2:00.04). “I’d say everyone did really well,” Vis said. “The field events. The sprinters. Everyone, we all just kind of came together. I think that’ll really help throughout this season, just being able to score a lot of points. Hopefully, we can be CVC champs again.” Here are NH area weekend invite top-3s (wanted to sneak in the AOA HJ as well, so went to 4 there)Lot to like in that mix … I'll add it to NH area leaders later once I get a second wind pic.twitter.com/1a5eQRl1Rw — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) April 12, 2025 The Perry boys completed the team championship sweep in Division B, staving off a late charge from Notre-Dame Cathedral Latin with 104 points to the Lions’ 100. Field was pivotal, as the Pirates got wins in pole vault, long jump and high jump. While the Perry girls didn’t leave much doubt on their accord, the Geneva boys had to take a much more dramatic route to capturing the Division A team title. The Geneva boys reigned in a tight Division A team title race during the Perry Relays on April 17. (Chris Lillstrung – The News-Herald) The Eagles were embroiled in a tight race for much of the morning and afternoon with Riverside, Madison and Harvey. Firsts in DMR (11:11.24) and 4×4 (3:35.43) down the stretch did the trick, the latter with middle-distance stalwart Donald Shymske bringing it home with some flair. “I think we have a good group of guys,” Shymske said. “Our main guys came out and competed today. We placed well in every single relay. Ending on a 4×4, I like our chances. “I think we do well under pressure. All of us know what we’re supposed to do, and I think we thrive under that.” Elsewhere from the coverage area contingent, Riverside’s boys shot put duo of Mark Poje and Josh Porter set the meet record with a combined 100-0 in Division A. Poje, who had the top individual throw of 51-1, will be profiled in a separate story in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition. Geneva’s Caramia Boland continued her big start to the spring in long jump with a 17-0 1/2. Madison’s versatile Ryan Radkowski, adding another burgeoning skill to his arsenal in real time to go with his throws prowess, went 6-2 in high jump and was close on his first attempt at 6-4. NDCL’s boys 4×1 of Casey McInnerney, Brennen Burke, Rob Bonchak and Daniel Noronha went 42.98. The Lions’ girls 4×4 of Mia Trusso, Emilee Gruss, Brynn Munn and Lucy Edger encouraged with a 4:13.75. The Riverside girls won the Division A team title April 12 during the Perry Relays. (Chris Lillstrung – The News-Herald) The Riverside girls were Division A team champions with 114 points. ...read more read less