K of C Crown Youth District Free Throw Champions

SPIRIT LAKE – Nine girls and boys ages 10 to 14 were named champions of the 2014 Knights of Columbus District Free Throw Championship and earned the right to compete at the regional level. The district battle took place February 9 at Spirit Lake Middle School and was sponsored and run by the Knights of Columbus Iowa Great Lakes Council 5043.

In the competition, Spencer’s Karter Petzenhauser was the 10-year-old boys’ champion and Brooke Smith of Spirit Lake championed the girls’ division. Spencer’s Kyle Mareny was the winner of the 11-year-old boys’ division. In the 12-year-olds’ bracket, Jamison Helmers of Milford was the boys’ champion, and Abby Weeks of Spencer was the girls’ champion. Winning for the 13-year-old boys was Chase Hough of Spencer, and for the girls it was Bailey Illg, also of Spencer. The 14-year-old winner in the boys’ division was Lake Park’s Jordan Kyle and the girls’ winner was Hannah Jennings.

Jim Miller, Grand Knight of Council 5043, said the competition was fierce. “Any time you have the kids competing for a chance to go on to the regional level,” Miller said, “the competition gets amped up a bit. We even had a shoot off in the 12-year-old girls’ division.”



Miller also thanked the Spirit Lake Community School District for its support of events like the Free Throw Championship and the Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee.

District winners are eligible to compete in the regional competition in Remsen, with an eye toward moving on to the state and international levels.

The Knights of Columbus is an international Catholic family fraternal service organization with 1.8 million members in more than 14,000 local councils. Last year, Knights donated 70 million volunteer hours and $167 million to charitable and benevolent causes, sponsoring projects to benefit their churches, councils, communities, culture of life, families and youth.

Iowa Great Lakes Council 5043 sponsors annual events including the Free Throw Championship and the Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee. They also run the Soup and Pie Supper in November, monthly omelet breakfasts and the Tootsie Roll Drive for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities Labor Day weekend, benefiting local organizations.



Photo Cutline: Winners of the Knights of Columbus District Free Throw Championship held February 9 at Spirit Lake Middle School were Chase Hough, Spencer, Brooke Smith, Spirit Lake, Carter Petzenhauser, Spencer, Kyle Mareny, Spencer, Bailey Illg, Spencer, Abby Weeks, Spencer, Hannah Jennings, Spirit Lake, Jordan Kyle, Lake Park and Jamison Helmers, Milford.