After a roughly 18-month hiatus from gymnastics, Francesca Verdi finally was well enough to compete again this season, returning to the Southern Regional lineup last week during its opener against Toms River East.

“I’ve had my ups and downs, and my breakdowns, but I got through it,” the smiling senior said after the Rams defeated Point Pleasant Borough, 100.3-91.75 on Sept. 23. “Last week, I mainly was distracted because I was doing videos to post on our Instagram.