By Eric Erickson
Sports analysis
As Como Park Senior High School athletes wrap up their fall sports seasons, here is a rundown on how they did:
Cross Country – The Como boys raced to the best season in school history. The Cougars repeated as St. Paul City Conference champions and Section 4AA champions. What set this group apart was their fourth-place finish in the State AA meet.
The boys have qualified for four consecutive state meets, placing 13th, 12th, and 11th before this season’s big jump to fourth, made even more remarkable by the team’s youth.
Sophomore Charlie Loth was the individual section champ and earned all-state honors by placing seventh at state. Sophomore Arthur Anderson was also all-state, finishing 19th out of 160 runners.
Junior captains Ben Clark and Hazel Small were next across the line at state, followed by freshman Luna Small, senior Niko Turnure, and junior Colin Johnson.
For the second consecutive year, two Como girls qualified for the state meet. Sophomore Lily Coyle and Murray eighth-grader Lu Beckman both finished the Section 4AA meet as top 10 individuals, comfortably qualifying for state. The improving depth of the girls’ team was evidenced by their third place finish out of 12 teams in the section.
Volleyball – The Cougar girls finished third in the St. Paul City Conference with a 4-2 conference record, guided by Madison Critchley, who was selected the conference coach of the year. The team was captained by junior Niko Solheid, who was first-team all-conference and junior Aletha Keizer, who was third-team all-conference.
Junior Ku Mo and Murray eighth-grader Tsuki Solheid also earned third-team all-conference. Freshman Jamie Nemec received all-conference honorable mention. Girls’ volleyball is another young Como team that’s already looking forward to next season.
Girls tennis – The new Como-Harding cooperative team came together smoothly and took second place in the St. Paul City Conference. The team’s overall record was 14-9, highlighted by a playoff victory in the section tournament.
Sophomore Ela Cantellano was all-conference and became the first Como player to ever advance to the semifinals of the section singles tournament. Tiffany Tran, Serenity Vang, and Gaozhia Vue were also selected all-conference. Sophomore Aurelia Haycraft and senior Cadence Lee were all-conference honorable mention.
Girls soccer – The Cougars continued to be a competitive team, finishing the 2024 season with an overall record of 5-5-2. The team was led by all-conference senior captains Ava Lopez and Giselle Sanchez-Esparza, both of whom concluded five-year varsity careers.
Beyond getting named an all-conference selection, Lopez was chosen for the all-state team and scored a goal in the Minnesota all-state senior classic. Juniors Lucy Dietz, Robin Engman-Phiri and Sarah Oakman earned all-conference honorable mention.
Girls swimming – Junior Aleia Lueck qualified for the state meet in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke (taking place after the Bugle went to press). She defended her Section 4A title in the 50 free from last year and set a new meet record in that event.
Lueck, fellow junior Hattie Miller, freshman Adeline Hanson and Murray eighth-grader Alice Van Keerbergen set a new school record in the 400-yard free relay while taking fifth at the section meet. They also took fifth in the 200-yard medley relay.
Cougar highlights from the St. Paul City Conference meet included conference championships for Hanson in the 100-yard breaststroke and Lueck in the 50 free and 100 back. Van Keerbergen earned all-conference for third place in the 100 free and fourth in the 50 free. Honorable mentions were achieved by Miller and Caroline Napierala.
Boys soccer – Como was ranked in the state’s top 10 for class AA, had an overall record of 12-5-2 and advanced to the Section 4AA final. Sophomore Stephan N’da was selected St. Paul City all-conference and first-team all-state.
Seniors Taw Law Eh Hser and Soe Reh were also St. Paul City all-conference. Players earning honorable mention were seniors Alle Bagula and Poe Reh, and sophomore Cyrus Vargas.
Football – The Cougars finished 2-6 with victories over Minneapolis South and Harding-Humboldt in the Twin Cities District.
Senior Shawn Huberty, junior Jeremiah Ranson, and sophomore Tate Prinsen were selected all-district. Prinsen had seven interceptions and was the Skyway sub-district defensive back of the year.
Honorable mention all-district went to senior Jamel Shaw, juniors Jonas Tetevi and Vontae Williams, and sophomore Charvell Rogers.
Eric Erickson is a social studies teacher at Como Park High School and a longtime coach of school and youth sports in St. Paul.
Photo cutline: The Como boys’ cross-country team won the Section 4AA championship and finished fourth in the state meet. Photo by assistant coach Paula Caballero.
