Huffy advances to final of Sandpoint Cornhole Classic
(Photo by CAROLINE LOBSINGER) Sandpoint’s Ryan Huffy, left, tosses a bag in the finals of the first ever Sandpoint Cornhole Classic on Saturday in downtown Sandpoint. Huffy was just seven points away from winning $2,000.
(Photo by CAROLINE LOBSINGER) Len Hiatt, left, claimed the $1,000 winners check, alongside event organizer and 6th place finisher James Mize, and Mountain West Bank branch manager Shanna Yarbrough.
Event organizer James Mize knocks out two professional players
By ERIC PLUMMER
Sports editor
SANDPOINT — Turns out Sandpoint has some pretty good cornhole players, as the first-ever Sandpoint Cornhole Classic proved a rousing success last Saturday, with plenty of drama and intrigue unfolding in the final.
A total of 137 players took part in the pro event, with American Cornhole League points and ample prize money at stake, with 42 doubles teams and 53 singles players taking part in the action, as a block of 1st Avenue in downtown Sandpoint was closed for the event.
James Mize, manager of A&P’s and the event organizer, felt things went about as good as possible, from the first bag toss to the championship game, which featured a Sandpoint resident and plenty of crowd support.
“I think it was spectacular. The community coming together and cheering on a local,” said Mize. “It was a fun environment with the street closed. Everybody was in a good mood, and the weather was perfect.”
The aforementioned local was Sandpoint’s Ryan Huffy, who advanced to the final to face Len Hiatt, who came from Kelso, Washington for the one-day tournament. There was more than just the $1,000 first place prize money on the line for Huffy, as local Spencer Nielson, from Pawn Now, offered up a $1,000 extra bonus if a local won the event.
Hiatt edged Huffy 21-16, 21-19 in the finals, with Huffy winning $600 for second place and coming awfully close to winning $2,000. The tense final was one of the highlights of the event.
“He had a chance at the extra grand,” described Mize of Huffy. “The whole crowd was just going crazy. Ryan is a good player.”
Mize is no slouch his own self, finishing in 6th place in the singles and teaming with Nick Utt to finish fifth in the doubles. Mize enjoyed that participants and spectators could have drinks outside and enjoy the action, and that there were vendors on hand, and when he wasn’t busy running the tournament, he was slinging bags with pin-point accuracy.
There were two official pros in the field, Kelby Williams, the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Washington, and Jim Cantrell, the No. 4 ranked player, and Mize made sure neither won the first ever pro cornhole tournament in his hometown.
“I knocked out both of them,” said Mize proudly, noting he got a lot of positive feedback from the event. “Everybody was already asking when and where next year.”
Hiatt teamed with Robbie Green to also win the doubles, splitting the $1,000 first place check while taking a tidy $1,500 back with him to Kelso.
Mize is already thinking about next year’s event, and ways to improve and grow the tournament.