2025 Post-Journal/OBSERVER Boys Soccer Player of the Year, Randolph senior Cooper Freeman. Photo courtesy of Mike Frame

There were plenty of expectations for Cooper Freeman on the soccer pitch as he entered his senior year at Randolph.

Freeman was within reach of several school records with the Cardinals and as a team the goal was to finish first in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division II along with making a deep run in the sectional playoffs.

In his sixth game of the season, Freeman scored four times against Salamanca to move past his head coach Dave Pihlblad as Randolph’s top scorer with 107 goals. He wasn’t done there, adding the assist record near the end of the season.

Freeman finished the season with 48 goals and 26 assists, factoring in on 80% of the goals scored by Randolph. His single-season total of 48 goals ties him for eighth all-time in Section VI and was the second most this season, only behind Wilson’s Aidan Neumann with 55.

His prolific season brought his career total to 137 goals — good for third in Section VI history — and 84 assists.

Randolph relied heavily on Freeman’s offensive efforts and it was the difference in winning the league title. He cruised through several league opponents, but rose to occasion when it mattered most against Ellicottville/Franklinville and Portville.

In the first game with Portville, Freeman scored both goals in a 2-2 draw on the road that kept the door open for an outright league champion.

The following game, Freeman dealt out two assists in the final 12 minutes that stole a 2-1 road victory against Ellicottville/Franklinville.

In the second matchup with Portville, Freeman showed why he is the best player in Division II.

With the league title slipping out of the Cardinals’ grasp, trailing 1-0 in the final minute, Freeman scored an equalizing tally with just 15 seconds left. Then, three minutes into overtime, Freeman showed his elite dribbling skills taking a short pass from a corner kick toward goal and delivering the dagger three minutes into sudden-death overtime.

The victory did not seal the league title, but put Randolph on a path toward it with Ellicottville/Franklinville and Pine Valley/Gowanda remaining on the schedule.

Freeman provided a goal and an assist in the 4-1 victory over the Eagles and then scored six goals and five assists to officially secure the championship against the Panthers.

Freeman was the easy choice for the Division II Player of the Year, but his season was not over yet.

In the Section VI Class C playoffs, No. 3 Randolph went straight to the quarterfinals and it was Freeman scoring the game-winning goal against Westfield/Brocton in a 2-0 victory.

However, the celebration was short-lived as a quick turnaround the following week came against Randolph’s kryptonite, No. 2 Allegany-Limestone.

Randolph’s only previous loss came at the hands of the Gators in the second game of the season when the Cardinals lost 3-2 with Freeman scoring both goals.

The same result came again in the semifinals as Allegany-Limestone edged Randolph 2-0, ending the career of one of Section VI’s most decorated players.

Freeman’s season was not just recognized locally, but he earned a distinction few area players achieve, a spot on the All-Western New York team.

For his prolific season and capping off one of the best careers in Section VI history, Freeman is the easy choice for the 2025 Post-Journal/OBSERVER Boys Soccer Player of the Year.