Sarah Buchholtz

Features Editor

On Sunday, April 13, the sun was shining bright for the WOO91 Cornhole Tournament, which featured a wide array of teams and was held on the academic quad. In order to register, WOO91 had teams bring a canned good or non-perishable food item, which would then be donated to People to People Ministries. Based in Wooster, People to People supports individuals and families in need or facing emergencies throughout Wayne County. 

“[Donating to People to People Ministries] is something we do as a way of giving back to the community,” WOO91 Assistant Station Manager Peter Rothstein ’26 said.

Competitors checked in with their canned goods at WOO91’s table in the Kauke Arch and got ready to see if they had what it took to become the winner of the tournament. As players waited for the rounds to begin, the College’s radio station played music that kept players on their toes. 

“I’m feeling nervous because I don’t have a lot of cornhole experience,” Anna Lundquist ’27, one of the many players, said. “But I am very excited and I think it will be fun.”

Before the first round began, general rules were stated by the hosts before the tossing started. Each round followed standard cornhole rules: bags in the hole were worth three points, bags on the board earned one and the game used a cancellation scoring system, meaning that opposing teams’ points in a round canceled each other out. Unlike some versions of the game, players were not required to hit the final score exactly, so going over the target was fair game. There were only three sets of boards, so many teams waited until a board opened up for their game.

The first round started off with 24 teams facing off, all hoping to move forward. Creative team names included “The Cobfathers” and “The Bad Boys of Cornhole.” The first games had a set score of 12 to get everyone through in a timely manner. After a few long and exciting rounds, the first few teams were eliminated and the next sixteen moved up. 

The “Sweet Corn 16” was next, still using the same set score of 12. These next few games were more intense, as competitors had their eyes set on the grand prize: a box full of trinkets provided by the WOO91 executive board. As teams pushed through, eight were eliminated while the others moved forward to the “Elote 8.” 

The “Elote 8” was next on the docket, and the set score was moved up to 15. Featuring some of the best teams remaining, the games were long but exciting. Soon enough, the top four teams remained. 

The “Kernel 4” had the top four teams left in the tournament. Teams “Freak,” “Hole in One,” “Natural Husk” and “Supreme Corn Justices” were the last four standing. Before playing, the teams had the opportunity to choose a walkup song for their next round. Songs such as “Super Freak” by Rick James and “Ave Maria” by Franz Schubert were chosen as teams got ready to face off in what might have been their final match in the tournament. With close games on both sides, as the set score was now 18, teams “Hole in One” and the “Supreme Corn Justices” were the final two standing. 

The final matchup consisted of a well played game, going up to the regulated set score of 21 points. It went back and forth for a while, but the “Supreme Corn Justices” pulled away at the end, winning the match with great shots by both teammates Ciaran Dwyer ’25 and Alex Linderman ’25. They both received medals, along with the WOO91 trinket box, which they shared. Dwyer and Linderman were the runner-ups in last year’s tourney, making this victory an even greater feat. 

“It feels amazing,” Dwyer said when asked how it feels to be a WOO91 2025 cornhole champion. 

“Turning in my I.S. was a great achievement,” Linderman said. “But nothing compared to this.” Dwyer agreed. 

WOO91 plans on keeping this tradition and hopes to bring more teams out next year. 

“It should be back next year, and hopefully for many years to come,” Rothstein said.