The 5th Annual GGSA/GCBL Cornhole Tournament is in the books as 31 singles players and 28 doubles teams took part in the annual event at Paws Bingo Hall in Greenville. A great collection of local and regional talent appeared in support of The Greenville Girls Softball Association and the Greenville Citizens Baseball League again this year.
The day long event began with 31 players competing in the singles double elimination tournament which was a record for participants in the events five year history. The first and biggest upset of the tournament came in the opening round when last years singles tournament champion, Matt Guy of Alexandria, KY, was upset by fellow Kentuckian, Derrek King. Guy's singles tournament ended with a subpar 2-2 record.
After knocking off Guy in the first round, King fought his way through the losers bracket after a second round loss and then beat Michael Ratcliffe of Frankfort, KY, to setup a finals match up with a relative local in Travis Jess of Piqua, OH.
Jess didn't flinch however as he finished off the singles tournament with a perfect 6-0 record and his first singles tournament championship. After fighting his way through the losers bracket Derrek King finished the tournament 7-2 with a second place finish.
SINGLES RESULTS
1st Place - Travis Jess/Piqua, Ohio
2nd Place - Derrick King/Taylorsville, Kentucky
3rd Place - Michael Ratcliffe/Frankfort, Kentucky
4th Place - Cody Henderson/Jackson, Ohio
The doubles tournament, which got underway a little later than planned because of the record singles tournament numbers saw Matt and Brett Guy take home their second GGSA/GCBL Cornhole Tournament Championship. The father/son duo are two of the best in the nation as Matt is currently ranked #2 in the ACO World Rankings while his son Brett is ranked #16. It wasn't a cake walk for the two veterans however as they faced some stiff competition on their way to the championship and the big payday.
The top half of the bracket was stacked full of ranked players meaning that not unlike the singles tournament some very good teams would be knocked into the losers bracket in a hurry. But Matt and Brett took care of things early to move through the winners bracket cleanly sending the rest to play survivor in the losers bracket.
In the end, the team of Corey Henderson of Jackson, Ohio and Jack Stagge of Lynchburg, Ohio made their way out of the losers bracket to face the tandem of Matt and Brett Guy in the championship match late Saturday evening.
The two teams battled throughout the championship game with Henderson and Stagge jumping out in front. But in the end the father/son duo came from behind with some clutch tosses late in the match pulling off a 21-16 win to clinch their second title.
DOUBLES RESULTS
1st Place - Matt Guy/Alexandria, KY & Brett Guy/Alexandria, KY
2nd Place - Corey Henderson/Jackson, OH & Jack Stagge/Lynchburg, OH
3rd Place - Michael Ratcliffe/Frankfort, KY & Jimmy McGuffin/Lawrenceburg, KY
4th Place - Chris Hobbs/Eaton, OH & Jim Horton/New Miami, OH
ACO Ranked Players Attending
#2 - Matt Guy/Kentucky
#3 - Randy Atha/Ohio
#9 - Chris Hobbs/Ohio
#16 - Bret Guy/Kentucky
#22 - Jack Stagge/Ohio
#24 - Mike Schaffer Sr/Ohio
#33 - Cody Henderson/Ohio
#59 - Dick Stone/Ohio
#87 - Leo Osterday/Ohio
Local cornhole players competing in the tournament included Todd Garland, Brett Sackett, Chace Drew, Ricky Heidrich, Hunter Drew, Tyler Beyke, Rob Wyant, Ryan Delk, Jim Beyke, & Randall Drew.
All-Time Doubles Champions
2013 - Matt Guy/Brett Guy
2012 - Steve Vanderver/Dale Smith
2011 - Matt Guy/Brett Guy
2010 - Chris Hobbs/Jason Faber
2009 - Chris Hobbs/Doug Farquer
It took many dedicated people from both the Greenville Girls Softball Association and Greenville Citizens Baseball League to pull off such a great event which included officers and trustees from both local organizations which benefited from the fundraising event. The event was also made possible by the many local business' that stepped up to the plate with sponsorships including: Fairlawn Steakhouse, Aramark, Jim Gable/State Farm Insurance, TXI, Drew Farms, Drew Ag Transport, Lucille Breaden, Modern Electric, BJ's Concessions, ANA Automotive, Teafords, Kesco Products, Lisa Francis/Leis Realty, Doug Shields Investments, Second National Bank, Double M Diner, Walker Construction, Winners Meat Market, Littman-Thomas Insurance, Fellers Classic Auto, Southside Custom Cycle, Shaffer Maintenance, Buckeye Clean Event, Justin Reigle, Buckeye Beverage, Zechar-Bailey Funeral Home, Bolyards Heating & Cooling, 3-Way Electric, Jim's Drive In, Club 7 Sports, Eikenberry's IGA, Todd Garland, Sunset Awards/Jim Hackney, & a special thank you to Paws Bingo Hall.