HERKIMER _ Michael Rowley wasn't even alive the last time Cooperstown won a boys soccer sectional title.
The 14-year-old freshman made his mark in being part of a championship Monday night.
Rowley scored with 21 minutes, 36 seconds remaining as third-seeded Cooperstown (16-3) won the Section Three Class C title for the first time in 18 years with a 1-0 victory over Bishop Grimes at Herkimer County CC.
"I was just hoping it would hold up," Rowley said. "It's one of the happiest moments of my life."
The play started when Bishop Grimes' Nick Quigley was given a yellow card at midfield for unsportsmanlike conduct after jumping on Brandon Lane's back.
Lane took the restart and sent a ball into the box, where it started to bounce around. Lane ended up with the ball again, and as two defenders converged, he pushed a pass to Rowley, who was in the middle of the penalty box, about 12 yards out.
Rowley shot slightly to the right, and the ball deflected off a Bishop Grimes defender and changed direction, heading back to the left and in for the go-ahead goal. Goalie Mike Besbiaty had been going the opposite direction, so he wasn't in position for the re-directed ball.
"(Cooperstown) coach (Frank) Miosek told me to get on the stopper," Rowley said. "He left me for a second and Brandon gave me a perfect pass and I just put it in."
The fifth-seeded Cobras (13-7) nearly tied it with 18:06 remaining.
Patrick Maguna broke free from defenders and went to the right side. He lost control for a moment, then sent a soft shot off his shin, beating Cooperstown goalie Kevin Huggins.
As the ball bounced toward the end line, Kyle Liner raced in and kicked the ball off the line, saving the goal.
"That was pure instinct and heart," Miosek said. "There's no heroes on this team. They all play together and they all follow their roles. We stuck to basics."
Both teams had opportunities in the first half.
Lane, who has 18 goals this season, went through two defenders 1 1/2 minutes into play. He got to about 8 yards and hit a point-blank shot that was saved by Besbiaty.
The Redskins pressured again with 24 minutes left off a restart when Lane sent the ball to Will Dykstra, who sent a shot to the opposite side that Besbiaty had to dive to save.
With 18 minutes remaining, Bishop Grimes' Will Sampson won a ball out of a scrum about 20 yards out and sent a wide-open shot off the crossbar.
Cooperstown's best opportunity came with 4 minutes left in the half when Kyle Hohensee shot from the right side. The ball got past a diving Besbiaty and Lane was on the far side, 5 yards out. However, his shot went over the crossbar.
"This was a game that could have gone either way," Bishop Grimes coach Steve Schroth said. "It took us a while to get used to the size of the field and the speed of the field. Once we did, I thought we were very evenly matched."
The Redskins meet Section Four champion Marathon on Friday or Saturday at a site and time to be determined in a state quarterfinal.
"We knew going into the season we were going to be good," Dykstra said. "We only lost a couple of players. This was our goal all season.
"We're not done yet," he continued. "We'd like to go all the way."
Cooperstown 1, Bishop Grimes 0
SECTION THREE CLASS C
Championship at Herkimer CCC
Bishop Grimes0 0 _ 0
Cooperstown0 1 _ 1
5-Bishop Grimes (13-7): None.
3-Cooperstown (16-3): Michael Rowley 1-0, Brandon Lane 0-1.
Shots-corner kicks: B 8-4; C 17-3.
Goalies: Mike Besbiaty (B) 12; Kevin Huggins (C) 6.
Schenevus plays Saturday
The Schenevus girls soccer team will play a Class D state quarterfinal at 1 p.m. Saturday at the National Soccer Hall of Fame fields, Schenevus coach Stephanie Banks said Monday.
The Dragons (17-1), who earned their 17th shutout with a 2-0 victory over Davenport in the Section Four final this past Saturday, will meet Section Three champion McGraw (19-0).
McGraw, the top-ranked team in the state, beat Remsen, 3-0, in the Section Three final.
