As the school calendar moves into spring and a new season of sports is upon us, here is a review of some Como Park Senior High School winter athletic results:
Boys swimming: It was a historic season for the Como boys in the pool as they won their first section championship in the 47th year of the program. Claiming the team trophy for Section 4A was a true team effort, as Cougar swimmers qualified for state in every event.
Como was also the top team in the St. Paul City Conference, winning it for the seventh time in program history. Leading the charge were Cougar co-captains senior Joey Schumacher and junior Noah Williamson.
They both earned individual state medals, with Schumacher placing fifth in the 100-yard freestyle and Williamson placing fourth in the 100-yard backstroke. They were also both conference champions in those events.
Additionally, Schumacher was first in the conference and 13th in the state for the 50-yard freestyle. Williamson was first in the conference and 15th in the state for the 100-yard butterfly.
The 200-yard medley relay team of sophomores Chester Realbanas and Emilio Kennedy, along with Williamson and Schumacher, set a school record at the state meet while earning the consolation championship, placing ninth overall.
Additional Como swimmers who qualified for state in various events included senior Ben Clark; juniors Arthur Anderson, James Thompson and Charlie Loth; and sophomore diver Ethan Imbertson.
Coach Victor Hanson saw consistent improvement throughout the season.
“Everyone improved their times and many of the swimmers exceeded what they thought they were capable of,” Hanson said. “It resulted in two amazing feats: winning the St Paul Conference meet and becoming section champions.”
Nordic skiing: Seniors Colin Johnson and Henry Simmons won the boys’ sprint relay at the Twin Cities Nordic Conference Meet. They followed that by finishing second in the Section 4 Meet and qualifying for state, which was held at Giant’s Ridge, where the duo placed 11th out of 24 competitors.
Simmons finished his high school career as a four-time all-conference skier and qualified for three state meets.
“Skiing helped me learn how to work hard, deal with obstacles outside of my control and push on,” Simmons said. “It’s been an honor to represent Como as an athlete.”
Several other boys earned all-conference honorable mention, including senior Hazel Small, sophomore Logan Small, and eighth grader Peter Laska. For the girls, sophomore Nora Simmons earned all-conference honorable mention.
Girls basketball: The Cougars won their 12th consecutive St. Paul City title and stretched their conference winning streak to 97 games. Como achieved the No. 3 seed for the Section 3AAA Tournament and advanced to the semifinals after a home playoff victory over Minneapolis South, before losing a close game against Tartan, the No. 2 seed.
Junior captain Ahmani Crump was the St. Paul City Player of the Year. Joining her as all-conference selections were Samya Denman, Nyema Montgomery and Alayla Salas. Kenia Arnold and Ingrid Bollman received honorable mention.
Boys basketball: The Cougars adjusted to a coaching change and an extremely challenging non-conference schedule. They emerged ready for competitive conference play, compiling a 6-6 record and tied for third place in the city.
This year’s team had a strong senior class led by all-conference players Contrell Jenkins, Hezekiah Bradshaw, Kavaughn Lissimore, and honorable mention player Jonas Tetevi. Jenkins finished his career with over 1,000 points, fourth on the all-time scoring list at Como.
The future of the program is bright, evidenced by the B-squad, composed of Como’s youngest players, finishing at the top of the conference with a record of 9–1 in the city.
Wrestling: Como senior Makiya May was the Twin Cities champ and qualified for her second straight state meet, advancing to the state semifinals. Sarah Dar, Noreah Chatman, Joyce Kamalandua, and Kmwe Soe also won the Twin Cities championship for their weight divisions. Overall, the girls team finished first in the St. Paul City Conference.
On the boys’ side, seven Cougars earned all-conference honors including Boe Reh, Ler Moo, Johnny Hudson, La Soe, Jere’Miah Saw, Achilles Yang and Montez Adams. Ler Moo received Section 4AA all-academic.
Eric Erickson is a social studies teacher at Como Park Senior High School and a longtime coach of school and youth sports in St. Paul.
