Blessed Htoo seized a golden opportunity to bring an emotional roller coaster to a thrilling end for Como Park. His decisive goal with 5:42 left in double overtime propelled the Cougars to the state title game after a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Simley in the Class 2A boys soccer semifinal Tuesday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

A precise feed from Stephan N’da split two defenders, delivering the ball to Htoo, who was racing into the box. “I saw the keeper was shuffling to come out or not, and then at the last second he came out. I went to the left and passed it into the goal,” Htoo recounted.

Unseeded in the tournament, Como Park (15-5-1) will face top-seeded Blake (18-1-2) in Friday’s public school vs. private school final at 2:45 p.m. back in downtown Minneapolis.

“We want to represent what the people of St. Paul can bring to soccer,” said Cougars captain Henry Simmons. “We want to show the immigrants who come to St. Paul what they can do.”

If the Cougars win a second school title — the first being the 2013 Class A crown — it will be a true climb up the ladder. Como Park, which finished fourth in the St. Paul City Conference, upset No. 3 New Ulm 3-1 in the quarterfinals, while Simley (17-2-2) was the No. 2 seed.

“We’re happy to have made state for the first time in nine years, but we weren’t just happy to be here. After watching film of all seven other teams that qualified, we felt we could give anybody a game,” said Como Park coach Brendan Doyle.

Simley coach David Albornoz added, “The only thing my team didn’t do was win. You want to walk out of these games with a sense of pride that you have done everything you can do. To come back from 3-1, overcome a couple of mistakes, and still be able to compete — we did everything we could. I’m extremely proud.”

Having the recently named Class 2A Mr. Soccer in the lineup certainly helped. Simley’s Elvis Hernandez Paz and Michael Hernandez Ruiz, two of five finalists for the award, combined on a textbook give-and-go. Paz, the award winner, scored in the 68th minute to make it 3-2.

He scored again with just 2:06 left, converting a Luis Ramirez Reyes feed and deftly tipping the ball over the Como Park goalkeeper a split-second before colliding with defenders.

“He earned the title, Mr. Soccer. There’s a reason for it, and he showcased that today,” Albornoz said.

Htoo had been in perfect position to extend Como Park’s lead to 3-1 in the 58th minute, interrupting a punt attempt by Simley goalkeeper Dylan Gonzalez and scoring into an open net. But Gonzalez redeemed himself by forcing overtime with a spectacular, fully extended one-handed tip to deny a Patrick Tennison chip with 26 seconds left in regulation.

Pai Chi’s right-footed shot from 45 yards out was perfectly placed just under the crossbar, giving Como Park a 2-1 lead in the 31st minute. Coach Doyle noted Chi had previously scored from 50 yards out in a section semifinal win over St. Paul Washington.

In other action, Blake defeated Northfield 4-1. Landon Bell, Jackson Fulton, and Moises Hueta each scored in the first half, with James Lewis adding a late goal. Blake is seeking its third state crown, and first in Class 2A, having won Class A titles in 2008 and 2018. Josue Lazaro scored for Northfield (12-4-5).
https://www.twincities.com/2025/10/28/boys-state-soccer-como-park-advances-to-final-with-2ot-win/