Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. McDonald senior Ryan Henry tosses the disc, winning the event with a mark of 175 feet, 5 inches. Along with teammates Dante Mediati and Danny Gray, the trio set a new Lakeview Relays discus record.

CORTLAND – When there’s only two opportunities to toss the disc, making the most out of limited opportunities is key.

Granted, when Mother Nature makes a track meet feel more akin to a November evening on the gridiron, chucking a shot or a disc only becomes more interesting and mentally grueling, especially when you’re gunning for a meet record.

Consider it mission accomplished for McDonald senior Ryan Henry, who tossed last in the boys’ discus, winning the event with a mark of 175 feet and three inches, but more importantly, set a relay meet record of 467 points, with teammates Dante Mediati and Danny Gray.

It was one of several notable performances at the 22nd annual Lakeview Relays on a Friday evening where the temperature kept falling and the rain clouds somehow evaded Lakeview High School for the most part.

“The pressure is there. I’ve done this since seventh grade; I went to regionals my freshman year in disc. It’s about experience,” Henry commented. “It’s about getting in there, taking a deep breath before you get into the ring, trying to clear your mind, and just do what you need to get done.”

Previously playing football, notably a running back in seventh grade, Henry traded the pigskin for something a little heavier, but it wasn’t as simple as just wanting a change of scenery. There’s tradition to carry on.

Henry’s older brothers, TJ and Matthew, both competed in shot put and discus for Western Reserve, but Ryan has them both beat in the discus by over 20 feet, owning a personal best of 176 feet set last year at Austintown Fitch.

Being the youngest of the bunch sometimes has its edge, especially when it comes to following your older siblings’ routines.

“Repetition. I’m not the biggest thrower, and neither are my teammates, but repetition for sure. Sometimes we’re taking close to 60-80 throws a day. It’s tough,” Henry said. “It’s a bit of a grind sometimes, but like today, hard work pays off.”

Under the night sky in an event that didn’t wrap up until nearly 8:30, Henry would go on to win the shot put with a mark of 59-9.50, a new meet record as temperatures kept falling.

Being able to run at home is always fun, especially when there’s a bigger support group than what you’d normally see when you’re on the road. Plenty of Bulldogs had the opportunity to compete on their home turf, one of the more thrilling events coming in the shuttle hurdle.

Howland’s team of Ava Alvetro, Jane Bronson, Lauren Null, and Addison Christy helped guide the Tigers to a first place finish in the girls’ shuttle hurdle with a time of 1:12.77. Lakeview finished just behind at 1:13.04, just .36 seconds ahead of third-place Geneva.

Bulldogs junior Stasia Hall played a big role in cutting the gap between first and second place, having the added attention of pretaking in the final leg of the relay, just adds pressure, but makes the event exciting.

“I like it, because it’s more of a team thing. It makes it a little difficult because when you’re behind. You have to catch up or you just don’t want to let your teammates down,” Hall said about competing as the final runner, adding that her time on the pitch has made her into a better sprinter. “I usually do both sports in season; it really helps with conditioning. You’re both at full speed.

“Running at different places, the support isn’t there as much, but through the team it is. When it’s cold you have to prepare yourself way more. It’s difficult because if you mess up, it can be an injury for the rest of the year.”

Also competing in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, and the 4×100/4×400 relays at most meets, Hall appreciates any time she gets the opportunity to help her team out, especially with shuttle teammates Lexi Busefink, Sydney Peterson and Lola English.

The Lakeview girl’s 4×100 team that included Hall added a second place finish at 53.82, in addition to second place in the 800 medley with a time of 2:06.17.

On the midfield, Howland junior Connor Durig duked it out with Badger senior Carter Burnett, ultimately coming out on top with a cleared height of 6 feet, just short of a personal best of 6 foot-two in the high jump.

Clearing that next bar for a personal-best isn’t easy, especially when the next height after six foot was 6-foot-four.

“It’s a little bit hard, especially when it’s cold like this, I’m not really warmed up enough to jump, it definitely makes me tighter and harder to jump,” said Durig, who also plays basketball and runs cross country. “Basketball is a lot more running up and down. When it’s cold like this, I just try to keep myself moving and stay loose on the side.

“At first before I did cross country, I wanted to do sprints, but then I ran cross country, and I started doing more distance. I like relays because it’s on a track in one area, with cross country it’s spread out throughout the woods and stuff, so everyone is just watching you when you’re running. It gives you a little more adrenaline, same thing with high jump.”

Durig took part in a 4×400 team that finished fourth with a time of 3:45.36, adding a third-place spot in the 4×800 at 9:02.60.

Howland claimed first place on the girl’s side with 111 points, host Lakeview in second with 78. On the boy’s side, Canfield earned first with 79.50 points, Howland ending in second with 65.