“I was so nervous,” Freeman said. “Coming up as a freshman … I was just so nervous being up there. My heart was pounding through my chest. … I didn’t want it, (Drew Hind) passed it to me and I was like ‘Oh, no,’ and when they fouled me I had to hit this one at least.”

Freeman battled through the nerves and sunk the first shot which extended Randolph’s lead to 58-55, forcing Haldane to try for a 3-pointer which it could not land on three separate looks, giving the Cardinals their first-ever state championship.

“He’s been making those kind of shots all year,” Drew Hind said about Freeman. “He’s one of the best jayvee players I’ve ever watched and I just have my trust in him. When I passed him the ball I didn’t realize it, but when he hit that shot it was the biggest relief ever.”

Freeman’s first varsity point turned out to be the biggest in program history, but it almost never happened.

Cooper Freeman poses for a photo with his family while holding the state championship plaque after the Cardinals defeated the Blue Devils 58-55. Photo by Mike Frame

Freeman, a standout soccer player, was supposed to leave after Friday’s semifinal against Section IV’s Moravia to go play for the WNY Flash Elite Clubs National League team in an Ohio Valley Conference game against defending league champion Michigan Nationals in Detroit. But an injury to Griffin Nelson in the semifinals changed those plans.

“Not at all,” Matt Freeman said about his son’s role at states. “The anticipation was he would go Friday and experience Glens Falls. We didn’t anticipate him having to play. With Griff going down, we kind of knew things were going to change. I looked at my wife in the third quarter and we knew that I would have to call his coach.”

Nelson’s injury forced the Cardinals to go deeper down the bench and that meant Freeman became an essential piece to Randolph’s quest for a state title as he became the first man off the bench with Roan Kelly being elevated to the starting lineup.

“He was actually leaving (Saturday),” Randolph head coach Kevin Hind said after winning the state title. “He’s one of the best soccer players in our area, so he’s on a big-time travel soccer team. He was leaving today, then Griffin broke his (ankle), I’m like, ‘You can’t leave. I didn’t care yesterday, but we’ve got to have you,’ so we had practice last night at 6 and this morning at 8 to make sure that he was on board with what we were doing. He knew the play calls, he knew the press breaks and then he’s at the free throw line twice and hits the biggest free throw.”

As a late-season addition from jayvees, the expectation to contribute anything is quite low. But then with injury and Randolph senior Carson Conley fouling out in the final minutes of the state final, Freeman’s presence became a necessity.

Randolph's Roan Kelly defends Haldane's Nathaniel Stickle during the state championship game at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls on Saturday. Photo by Mike Frame

“I was just sitting on the bench thinking, ‘Poor Cooper, Poor Cooper,'” Conley said about the final minutes of the game. “The guy just got called up and he’s shooting a free throw to give us the win for a state championship. So much pressure on him and we’re so happy and proud of him that he could do that and step up.”

There is no replacing Conley’s production on the floor, but the trio of Conley, Hind and Jaiden Huntington had no doubt on Freeman’s abilities when he was thrust into such a high-pressure situation.

“We just told him to relax and take your time,” Huntington said. “You should watch him play jayvee basketball, he’s so quick. He plays with flow and I trusted him.”

Then when put into the highest pressure situation anyone could imagine, Freeman delivered. Following his bucket, the Cardinals held on for the most stressful 16 seconds in program history, securing the state title and letting the party begin.

Well, the party began for everyone but Freeman.

Randolph’s Roan Kelly, right, and Drew Hind pose with the NYSPHSAA Class C championship plaque on Saturday. Photo by Mike Frame

Less than a hour after winning the state championship, Freeman and his family packed up and embarked on the 12-hour trek from Glens Falls to Detroit. The Freeman family traveled through the harsh elements to continue to support Cooper’s goal of becoming a college soccer player.

“He’s just an extremely focused and driven kid,” Freeman’s father added. “Sports are his passion, he trains nonstop on his own, so physically he can handle it. It’s just his passion and we’re going to support his dreams so long as he continues to get good grades.”

While Freeman missed out on spending the night as champions with his teammates, he’s not the only Cardinal that had to run off after winning a championship this season. In fact, junior Roan Kelly, quite literally may have ran off after winning the Section VI Class C title against Frewsburg.

Kelly, a gifted runner, competes all season long, whether it’s cross country, indoor track and field or outdoor track and field. Just like Freeman, Kelly competes at an elite level in both sports and when Randolph was celebrating its sectional title Kelly, was on the road to compete in NYSPHSAA Indoor Track & Field state championships.

One night Kelly was helping the Cardinals to a sectional title and then the following morning across the state he took seventh place at states for Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Frewsburg/Randolph in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:18.04. Kelly also aided the 800-meter relay team of Jacob Constantino, Collin Riel, Talon Rowland and Landon Stormer, running in the prelims to qualify for the final and eventually earn an eighth-place finish.

Kelly’s running didn’t stop after sectionals. In fact, he double-dipped again the following weekend after the Cardinals’ Far West Regional victory. After advancing to states, Kelly made the run to nationals where he competed in the New Balance Nationals Indoor 2023 Championships in Boston.

At nationals, Kelly competed in the one-mile run and took 42nd with a time of 4:17.26 and the 1,500 meters, which he finished 52nd with a time of 4:01.46.

Less than a week after running at indoor nationals, Kelly was coming off the bench as the sixth man for the Cardinals and quickly turned into a starter once Nelson went down with injury. Kelly didn’t miss a beat stepping in for Nelson, providing the defense and familiarity needed for Randolph to win the state title.

“Our guy Griffin is the best defender in the league and the state,” Drew Hind said about Nelson and the depth that filled in for him. “I would say that with confidence, he is just the man, he can shut anyone down. Then our guys off the bench, when he got hurt, Roan and Cooper and Tristan (Farnham) stepping up is just huge for us. Nothing can compare to that. It’s what we needed.”