On Friday, Oct. 31, Boys’ soccer won the Class AA State Championship. In the championship game, they won 3-0 against St. Paul Como Park with a brace from Oliver Brown ‘27 and a screamer from 30 yards out from Max Vezmar ‘26. After each goal, the Bears rushed to celebrate in front of the fans. After the final whistle, the players rushed over to the fan section, attempting to leap into the crowd and celebrate an incredible season.
Following their 2-0 semifinal loss to Totino-Grace in 2024, Brown said, “We played with a chip on our shoulder.” He narrated, “[It] was… the fuel that fueled us this whole season and throughout this playoff run.” Throughout the regular season, the Bears were dominant, finishing with only one loss. The boys were seeded as the first seed in Class AA. Vezmar noted, “I think it adds a lot of pressure being the number one seed and ranked number one.” However, Landon Bell ‘26 added, “We talked about all season: pressure is a privilege.”
Entering the game, St. Paul Como Park had gone on an underdog run, entering the State Tournament unseeded. Brown stated, “They really gave us a run for our money.” He continued, “I wasn’t quite expecting that.” The Cougars had been plagued with injuries, like that of their star playmaker, Stephan N’Da. However, N’Da played in the playoffs.
In the semifinals, Brown was self-admittedly quiet. Following the game, he said, Coaches Tamba Johnson and Tony Andrade “gave me permission to demand the ball to get into a flow.” Tonight, he demanded the ball, striking it into the net twice and setting the pace for the game.
Bell, who racked up another assist on top of his goal in the semifinal, said, “We have to give credit to our defense.” He continued, “They didn’t give him [N’Da] any room to breathe” and “our defense just stepped up to the plate and just shut them out.”
Reliving the game, Johnson stated, “We were the aggressor most of the game, so I think it really let us dictate the tempo.” Because of this, he said, “I’m not surprised that we came out the way we did, especially the second half.”
Another important aspect was the crowd. Johnson noted, “You can’t beat the crowd that we had today.” Vezmar agreed, stating, “It’s really everything.” He maintained, “ It just makes it so much more intense and meaningful.”
Overall, Brown finishes as the top goalscorer for the team with 22 goals, while Bell finishes as the assist leader with 15 assists. The team finishes with 19 wins, one loss, and two draws, improving by one win from last year. Following a redemptive season, the team will surely look to repeat next year.
