By Eric Erickson
Here is a rundown of other Como Park High School teams and athletes who had noteworthy fall sports achievements:
Tennis: For the first time in school history, a Como player qualified for the girls’ state tennis tournament.
Como junior Ela Cantellano rolled through the Section 4AAA singles tournament without dropping a set and claimed the championship.
At the state tournament, Cantellano made more history by winning her first-round match. She defeated her opponent from Maple Grove in straight sets before falling in the state quarterfinals to the state’s No. 1 seed.
“When I made it to state it meant so much to me but also to everyone who has helped me on my journey,” Cantellano said. “I’m so grateful to have found such a genuine, caring, and talented group of people in Como tennis.”
Junior Aurelia Haycraft was all conference with Cantellano. Senior Sofia Gonzalez earned honorable mention.
Swimming: Como senior Aleia Lueck repeated as the Section 4A champion in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard free. She also swept those events at the St. Paul City Conference meet, posting a new conference record.
As the Bugle went to press, Lueck was preparing to swim in her fourth consecutive state swim meet.
Lueck, senior Hattie Miller, junior Adeline Hanson and freshman Sadie Kersey combined forces to win the St. Paul City Conference title in the 200-yard relay. Hanson was also the conference champ in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard free. Miller earned all-conference for her second-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley.
Girls soccer: The Cougars played strongly against the top teams in the city and put together an overall record of 7-7-2. Senior Lucy Dietz and freshman Alayla Salas were both selected all conference. Seniors Robin Engman-Phiri, Sarah Dar and Sarah Oakman received honorable mention.
Volleyball: The Cougar girls finished fourth in the St. Paul City conference. Their playoff matchup was against Harding, who had tied for the city championship.
But the Cougars turned the tables on the Knights in the section quarterfinals and posted an impressive 3 sets to 1 victory.
Como’s all conference players were senior captains Aletha Keizer and Niko Solheid and freshman libero Tsuki Solheid. Sophomore middle blocker Azrayelle Taylor earned honorable mention.
Football: The Cougars finished 3-7 with victories over Central and Harding-Humboldt in St. Paul City competition. The third win came in a first-round section tournament game versus Columbia Heights. The Cougars outlasted the Hylanders 28-27 and advanced to the section semifinals before falling to Totino-Grace.
Seniors Jonas Tetevi and Aaron Carter and junior Tate Prinsen were all district selections. Senior Vontae Williams along with juniors Angelo Salas and Everette Lake-Higgins were honorable mention.
Eric Erickson is a social studies teacher at Como Park High School.
Photo cutline: Como junior Ela Cantellano became the first Como girl to ever qualify for the state tennis tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals. Photo by Kia Yang.
