By Eric Erickson,
Sports analysis
Cougar teams have been training in their winter sports since mid-November. The long season reaches its peak competition in late February and for some it extends into March.
Here’s a snapshot of four Como programs currently in action:
Girls basketball: St. Paulites who pay attention to high school sports need to go back a decade to find the start of the Cougar girls basketball winning streak.
The last loss for Como in the St. Paul City Conference was in 2015. Since then, they’ve won 87 straight games.
The scheduling format has changed in recent years with city teams only playing each other once. That means twenty nonconference opponents need to be found. Como head coach Olonda England is happy to play anybody, anytime.
Examples include Wayzata, a school three times the size of Como that is top 10 in the state’s biggest class, other large suburban teams such as Forest Lake, plus perennial private school powers Minnehaha Academy and Holy Angels.
“The girls understand the bumps and bruises are only going to make them better as a team,” England said. “The goal is to make it to the state tournament.”
The Cougars were one point away from getting to state last year, the narrow loss coming in the Section 3AAA championship game against Minneapolis Roosevelt.
Similar to last year, the Cougars are learning from losses in their grueling nonconference games, focusing on improvement, not worrying about their overall record, and preparing to make a run at state.
The team is led by senior captains Makyia Kenney, a small forward, and shooting guard Cecelia Davis. Sophomore guard Ahmani Crump is also a Cougar captain.
Nordic skiing: Thirty-two skiers are seeking the snow in their Como gear. Over winter break, when none was to be found, the team trained in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. That experience provided bonding for the boys and girls of the program in addition to practice.
Como competes in the Twin Cities Conference along with Central, Highland and nine other schools that offer Nordic in our urban area. Meets are held at Wirth Park in Minneapolis.
The Cougar boys are captained by senior Niko Turnure and juniors Henry Simmons and Ben Clark. The Cougar girls are extremely young, guided by enthusiastic freshmen Maeve Callahan-Schrieber and Nora Simmons.
New head coach Lawrence Simmons says the team has a great mix of highly competitive skiers along with beginners.
“The boys’ team is deep and poised to have their best conference and section finishes ever,” Simmons said. “The girls are young and hungry and impressing people with their efforts and results.”
Boys swimming: Como swimmers have been strong for several years and the 2024-25 team appears to be in the top-tier of the St. Paul City Conference once again.
Joey Schumacher is a junior captain who was a section champion and state qualifier last year in the 100-yard freestyle. He is also part of city conference history as a member of the fastest-ever 200-yard medley relay team. Schumacher combined with three seniors from last year’s squad to set that record and subsequently qualify for state in that event too.
Noah Williamson is a sophomore captain who was part of a 400-yard freestyle relay team that qualified for state last year. The captains are demonstrating dedication to training, and a young enthusiastic group is responding. The Cougars are showing their commitment and enjoying the work as well as the camaraderie.
The dual meets in the conference will conclude in early February. Then the focus shifts to the big meets with multiple teams starting at the St. Paul City meet on Feb. 14.
For most Como swimmers, the season will conclude on Feb. 28 at the Section 4A Meet. The goal is to go out and swim a personal record.
With consistent practice, the personal bests of a few Como swimmers will likely result in qualifying for state—the premier meet in March where Cougar swimming has been represented for four straight years.
Boys basketball: The team is captained by Contrell Jenkins and Hezee Bradshaw, two junior guards who possess varsity experience along with positive attitudes. The team’s leading scorer is senior Dashawn Robinson.
Robinson’s average soared after scoring 35 points in two different games. Coach Donnell Gibson is seeing growth and grit from his young team. Remarkably, the Cougars played three consecutive overtime games earlier this season.
After losing the first two overtime contests including one in double overtime, the third time was the charm as the Cougars came through in the clutch to defeat Minneapolis South 79-73. That resilience propelled the team on a positive path.
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 Cougar girls basketball team stands for the national anthem before a home game. Photo courtesy of Como Park Girls Basketball Facebook page.
