Multiple boys and girls aged between 9 and 14-years-old were recently crowned champions of the Youth Free Throw Championships in Platte County, Missouri, by the Knights of Columbus.
MaCallen McMillian became an individual champion in the 13-year-old age group of the Knights of Columbus Kansas City Regional Free Throw Championship.
This was the 52nd Annual Free Throw Championship – open to both girls and boys – the Knights of Columbus has held since starting the program in 1972. It began as a 90-minute event that took place in the gym at Platte County Community Center North YMCA where 15 boys and 11 girls participated on Jan. 15.
With six age groups, there were 10 total winners between both the boys and girls on that day and those individuals advanced to districts. That took place in the gym at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School, which was in Gladstone, Missouri, on Feb. 15.
Kaden Kampmeyer was a 14-year-old district champion at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School.
There wasn’t a 10-year-old boy or 11-year-old girl who participated but there were winners in every other age group. Mason Collins, Collin Risa, Brock VanVactor, MaCallen McMillian and Kaden Kampmeyer were the boy winners and Corinne Behne, Sawyer Cary, Millie Parker, Lillian Talbot and Charlotte Baty were the girls who advanced to compete in the Knights of Columbus Missouri District No. 5 Free Throw Championship.
From there, three boys and three girls were crowned as district champions in the 12, 13 and 14-year-old boys’ category and the 10, 12 and 13-year-old girls’ category. VanVactor, 12, McMillian, 13, and Kampmeyer, 14, all won for the boys and Cary, 10, Parker, 12, and Talbot, 13, were the girls.
Sawyer Cary became a 10-year-old free throw district champion on Feb. 15.
Those winners advanced to compete in the Knights of Columbus Kansas City Regional Free Throw Championship on Feb. 26 at the gym in St. Thomas More Catholic School. McMillian and Talbot are both 13-years-old and became regional champions.
Those two will compete in the Knights of Columbus Missouri State Council State Free Throw Championship on March 12. That will be in the gym at Father Tolton Catholic High School in Columbia, Missouri, at 12 p.m.
McMillian is a 7th grade student at Platte County Middle School and is the son of Spencer and Amber McMillian of Platte City. Talbot is an 8th grade student at Platte County Middle School and is the daughter of Preston and Jill Talbot of Platte City.
Lilian Talbot was also a regional champion in the 13-year-old age group on Feb. 26.
With more than 2.1 million members worldwide, the Knights of Columbus, founded in 1882, is the world’s largest Catholic, Family, Fraternal, Service, Lay organization. Last year, the Knights of Columbus donated over $154 million to charitable and benevolent causes, and nearly 48 million hours of volunteer service.