Amarian Hughes spends a lot of time working out for Marlboro, and the junior, a triple jumper and a member of the Dukes’ football team, was in the familiar confines of the weight room a few weeks ago getting ready for the New York State Track and Field Championships.

Hughes qualified for the meet at West Point, and he finished 27th at the state meet on Staten Island, covering 41-feet, three and a half inches. He also long jumps and pole vaults for the Dukes, but his favorite event is the triple jump.

“It is just fun, and I am good at it,” he said. “It is just fun to jump overall.”

Hughes started doing the triple jump in eighth grade, but he did not do it in ninth grade. He picked it up again as a sophomore and then became a state qualifier this winter for the Dukes.

The break between the indoor and spring outdoor seasons lasts a matter of a few days, and Hughes was back to work last week getting ready for the spring outdoor season, which opens at home Tuesday, April 2 against Ellenville.

During the outdoor spring season, Hughes expects to jump and run in some relays for the Dukes. And he hopes to set a personal record in the triple jump, break the school record in that event and go to state championships.

After the spring season ends, Hughes will have a few months and some change before he gets ready for his final season on the Dukes’ football team.

“Football is probably more fun,” he said, “but I definitely love track, too.”

The wide receiver played for the Dukes’ football team this past autumn that lost in the state Class B semis. And this fall, he wants to go further than that.

“Hopefully state champions,” he said.