Cumberland County High School’s varsity football team worked to shore up its weaknesses going into Friday’s contest against host Bluestone High School, but the preparation was followed by a poor showing against the Barons leading to a 51-6 defeat.

“We pretty much failed in all three aspects of the game,” Dukes Head Coach Edgar Knapp said.

The Barons had success throwing the ball deep.

“We had worked on improving our deep pass coverage — …something that hadn’t been a problem all year till week before last — and we just broke down again,” Knapp said. “Offensively, they were aggressive. That’s what we anticipated, but we just did not block very well.”

For the game, Barons junior quarterback Dale Sturdifen Jr. went 9-for-14 passing for 208 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

For Cumberland, senior quarterback Darius Kyle had difficulty connecting with his receivers, and Knapp noted there some dropped balls as well. Kyle went 6-for-18 passing for 75 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Dukes junior Isaiah Carter had two catches for 16 yards and a touchdown and led the team with 35 yards rushing on four carries.

Playing in a region with only six football teams, Cumberland (0-9) is guaranteed a playoff game. But first, it hosts Randolph-Henry High School on Friday at 7 p.m.