Goshen fourth-grader wins New York free-throw title with steady accuracy

Bryce Sternkopf turned a steady run of free throws into a New York state title, finishing 23 of 25 at West Point on April 12 to win the Knights of Columbus boys 9-year-old championship. The fourth-grader from Goshen Intermediate School outshot competitors from upstate and western New York and closed the season with 98 made free throws out of 115 attempts.

That final round was only the last stop in a long march through the Knights of Columbus competition ladder. Sternkopf first advanced from the Washingtonville council level in January, where he made 11 of 15 foul shots. He then kept moving through the district round in Cornwall, hitting 21 of 25, before winning the Hudson Valley regional contest in Poughkeepsie on March 8 and advancing again after a 23-for-25 performance at the jurisdictional round in Ossining.

The state final at West Point showed the same consistency that carried him through each stage. In a contest built on repetition and pressure, Sternkopf repeatedly finished near the top of the scoreboard, and his 98-for-115 total across the full path from local council to state championship underscored how little margin he left for error. He did not win on one hot stretch. He won by staying accurate round after round.

The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship has been sponsored by councils since 1972 and is open to boys and girls ages 9 to 14, with eligibility determined by age as of January 1. In the 9- to 11-year-old divisions, players shoot from 12 feet at a 10-foot basket, making control and repeatable form especially important. The competition advances from local to district, regional and state or province levels, giving young shooters a structured path from their own communities to a broader stage.

For Goshen, the title puts a local elementary school student in a statewide spotlight and adds another Orange County name to a competition rooted in youth sports and community support. West Point, Ossining, Poughkeepsie, Cornwall and Washingtonville all became part of the same run, but the result belonged to one small-town fourth-grader whose accuracy held up from start to finish.