The Cumberland High School varsity wrestling team took its quest to “break the favoritism” to the state level over the weekend, looking to displace some of the perennial powers. The Dukes placed 14th out of 24 teams at the Virginia High School League Group 1A state tournament in Salem with four Cumberland wrestlers having qualified to compete.

“There were some disappointments and some favoritism at the (state) level,” Cumberland Head Coach Charles Taylor said. “But I was able to bring home two placers.”

Dukes senior Raheem Rumsey placed third in the 182-pound weight class.

After advancing out of the quarterfinals in less than a minute by pin and then being pinned, himself, two minutes, 11 seconds into his semifinal match, Rumsey won the consolation semifinal and third-place final by pin in 45 and 53 seconds, respectively.

Cumberland senior Trevon Foster placed fourth in the 195-pound class.

He pinned his opponent in 1:26 in the quarterfinals but then was pinned 4:17 into the semifinal match.

“Trevon battled back from injuring his knee in the semifinal match to win a tight consolation semifinal match,” Taylor said, referring to Foster’s victory by a 2-1 decision.

Foster was pinned in the third-place match in 1:28.

In the 113-pound class, senior Ricky Kirby lost “a heart-breaking quarterfinal match in the last 15 seconds,” Taylor said. “And then, after computer difficulties and bad referee calls, he lost his first-round consolation match.”

The coach said junior Davidrick Brooks, who won the Region 1A East title in the 126-pound class, wrestled a hard-fought match in the state quarterfinals before losing by a 6-3 decision. Brooks lost his first-round consolation match by a 4-1 decision.