Cumberland County High School’s varsity boys outdoor track and field team was not at full strength over the weekend, but it still shined by finishing fifth out of 31 scoring teams at the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 1 state championships in rain-drenched Elkton.

“We had a very good showing at the meet, especially with the (Class 1) teams, boys-wise, being a little stronger than the (Class 2) this year,” Dukes Head Coach Kenneth Jasey said.

He noted that the times produced by the Class 1 teams were largely faster than those generated by the larger schools in Class 2.

This meant Cumberland was competing in a strikingly challenging field, and Jasey pointed out that the Dukes were not doing it with their full complement of athletes.

Without naming those missing, the coach said, “They had already qualified for the state meet, but for undisclosed reasons, they weren’t able to attend.”

He complimented them by noting their impact could have helped the Dukes finish even stronger, but he conveyed high praise for what his athletes present in Elkton accomplished.

“I’m so proud of our guys for those ones holding it on together strongly and producing the way they did,” he said. “That is outstanding.”

Leading the way was senior Muhammad Fulani, who won the boys 300-meter hurdles in a photo finish.

“I was so elated and happy for him,” Jasey said.

The coach noted that at the end of races — even those his athletes win — he is typically telling them what they could have done better. After Fulani’s win, “I still somehow told him, well, I said, ‘You really didn’t hurdle all the hurdles, but son, I’m proud of you, and congratulations, because you got it done.’”

The official results on MileStat.com list times only up to hundredths of a second. Both Fulani and Middlesex High School senior Manny Fernandez finished in 40.70 seconds, but Jasey said that analysis beyond that point confirmed what the eye saw.

“It was pretty close, but we could see that he’d had a head over him, so he probably beat him by a neck,” the coach said.

Fulani is being courted by various colleges to run at the next level.

He was also part of the Cumberland boys 4×400-meter relay team that won with a time of three minutes, 31.82 seconds.

“It was in a pouring down rain, so they really got it done,” Jasey said.

The Dukes 4×400 squad finished a remarkably narrow second in the state meet last year to Stonewall Jackson High School, of Quicksburg, just 0.54 seconds slower.

“And then we came back and responded,” Jasey said, speaking of this year’s effort.

The 2018 Cumberland team included Fulani and juniors Ziahir Berry, Jalen Foster and Devon Rivera-Reed.

Speaking of the juniors and the relay squad’s future, Jasey said, “They’ll be returning, and coming from middle school, we’ve already got our eyes on one young man that we think is going to step right into Muhammad’s place.”