Legends Cornhole

Legends Cornhole The place where players come to play, but legends come to win. Cornhole tournament director for all of your tournament needs.

Some of you may or may not know the connection between Hampton Roads Co****le and Payton Haynes. In the early 2020's, 20...
08/05/2026

Some of you may or may not know the connection between Hampton Roads Co****le and Payton Haynes. In the early 2020's, 2022-2023 to be precise, Payton was a dominating force in the local co****le community. Obviously, the best female player in the area at the time, she had a roll shot that would make today's players envious. And while there was no lack of talent, her mental game just wasn't there. She was lacking so much in that area that her emotional intelligence suffered to the point where it would boiled over at tournament directors if things didn't go her way. Her actions towards local directors forced me to suspend her on May 11, 2023 from all ACL events on the Peninsula for the remainder of that season.

At the world championships in late July of that same year, she planned to go through the pro qualifier. Could she do it on sheer talent alone? Absolutely. But I knew the mental side would trip her up. I remember telling her one time before the qualifier, "If you can get your mental game at the level of your physical game, you will dominate the women's pro circuit." Now. 3 years later, she is doing just that.

After leaving the 2025 World Championships completely defeated, forcing her into the lowest point mentally she had ever been in, she contemplated walking away from being an ACL pro. Through her sheer determination and with the help of a fantastic support system, she renewed her faith in God and in herself for the 2025/2026 season. The results? One of the most dominating seasons any ACL Women's Pro has put together:

Myrtle Beach Signature Open Women's Doubles Runner-up

Atlantic City Co****le Classic (NJ Interstate) mixed doubles champion, Tier 1 doubles champion, and women's singles champion

Memphis Signature Open Women's Doubles Champion

Cleveland Signature Open Pro Women's Singles Champion

Rhode Island Open Women's Doubles Champion

Mesa Signature Open Women's Doubles Champion

And this past week at the ACL World Championships, Pro Women's Singles World Champion and Mixed Doubles World Champion.

Throw in some local wins and several regional wins, Payton had a banner year that was a far cry from the chaotic days of 2022 and 2023.

So, this week we celebrate Payton not just for her accomplishments on the courts. But also, for her accomplishments within herself: believing when no one else did, not trying to prove other people wrong but trying to prove herself right. And she did...many times over. I look back and am in awe of how far she has come in such a short period of time, but I look back knowing that she did exactly what we talked about her doing back in 2023: she picked herself up when she fell, and became stronger and stronger mentally until she was unshakeable and becoming a two-time world champion. And for that, it is my greatest honor to recognize my friend and fellow pro, Payton Haynes, as our

Legends Co****le Legend of the Week!

Legends Co****le and our entire co****le family deeply mourns the loss of one of our own, way too soon. Please honor Joe...
07/23/2026

Legends Co****le and our entire co****le family deeply mourns the loss of one of our own, way too soon.

Please honor Joel and keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Godspeed, Joel.

Most people who will read this probably has no idea who Catina Downey is. On the surface, it seems like just some obscur...
07/21/2026

Most people who will read this probably has no idea who Catina Downey is. On the surface, it seems like just some obscure person whose name I pulled out of a hat.

But if you have made your rounds on the Peninsula Co****le Circuit, you have probably played at her venue, the NES Co****le Lounge in Williamsburg, VA. A CPA by trade, Catina relocated her co****le lounge from the short pump area of Richmond to Williamsburg last year, providing a great place to play indoors.

Her co****le lounge isn't just for co****le. Because of her standing within the Chamber of Commerce and her marketing savvy, her center has held several other events such as Tuesday night line dancing, the "Dad Games", and benefits and corporate outings for people and organizations all across the Peninsula.

Even though she has a thriving CPA business, she can often be found at the co****le lounge on any given night supporting the players and leagues by pulling double duty as the resident cook. Her efforts in making the co****le lounge were such a success this past year that she was recently nominated as a Greater Williamsburg Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. While she didn't win, she will always be number 1 in our book for what she has brought to the co****le community, how she has supported not just our ACL tournaments, but Club Waka leagues, and how she is always willing to listen to our feedback and provide a comfortable, spacious place to play indoors.

And it's because of all this that we are over the moon excited to name Catina Downey as our

Legends Co****le Legend of the Week! Yaaaaay, Catina!!!

As you can probably guess, I have a deep respect for people who stand up and lead — people who say "I'll do it" when no ...
07/15/2026

As you can probably guess, I have a deep respect for people who stand up and lead — people who say "I'll do it" when no one else will. People who do this knowing full well it won't please everyone. Knowing they'll be liked by some, second-guessed by others, but depended on by all. People who take the heat from those who somehow find fault in even the most perfectly run situations — and keep going anyway. Keep leading. Keep showing up for the thing they were called to do.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is what it means to be a co****le tournament director. And right now, nobody is doing it better than David Crews.

Over the past year — and especially lately — David has run the weekly tournament at TJs Sports Tavern in Poquoson in a way that doesn't just draw the best players in the area, it has turned TJs into THE place to be on tournament night. He's built that reputation the hard way: quietly, without fanfare, without chest-thumping — just pure love for the game and the people who play it.

Like every great director, he's the last one to leave. And we all know how late those nights at TJs can run. He never complains, even knowing he's got to be up and at work the next morning. That's what selfless leadership looks like — not just in the tournaments he runs, but in how he treats every player and every single person at TJs who helps make it happen. Simply put: he is THE BEST tournament director in the area, full stop.

And it's exactly because of how he carries himself — and how he makes everyone feel like they belong at TJs — that we are proud, and genuinely excited, to name David Crews our

Legends Co****le Legend of the Week!

If you play this game long enough, you learn that your co****le game comes and goes, as my good friend, Brian Peede, lik...
07/07/2026

If you play this game long enough, you learn that your co****le game comes and goes, as my good friend, Brian Peede, likes to say. But sometimes, you get on a roll and get hot, and the tournament wins and placements come naturally. And NO ONE is more hot right now on the Peninsula than Curry "CJ" Ingram.

Just last week alone, he had five (5) top 3 finishes. Quiet, Unassuming, focused, driven, and always improving, CJ is becoming a force to be reckoned with on the boards; gone are the days when he was almost a guaranteed win. In the last year, no one (in my opinion) has improved their game as much as he has, and no one seems to be as driven to get better daily than he is. These are all characteristics of not just a winner, but characteristics, also, of this week's

Legends Co****le Legend of the Week! Congrats, CJ! I look forward to seeing you on the boards.

It's been a while since we have posted a Legends of the Week. But with the ACL Season winding down, it's great to be bac...
06/30/2026

It's been a while since we have posted a Legends of the Week. But with the ACL Season winding down, it's great to be back.

This time last year, Jay Patto couldn't be touched. He was playing some of the best co****le in the area, the kind of form where you just knew, when he came to a tournament and stepped up to the line, something good was about to happen.

Then summer hit, and something shifted. The throw that used to feel automatic stopped cooperating. The confidence that used to walk onto the court with him stayed home. Anyone who's competed knows that feeling — when your body remembers how to do something, but your head won't let it happen. It's one of the hardest things in sports to fight through, because there's no drill for it. No amount of reps fixes what's going on between your ears. It just takes time, patience, and a willingness to keep showing up even when it's not working. And that is what Jay did.

Jay put in that time. Month after month, he kept grinding to get his throw — and himself — back. This past weekend, it all came together. Jay teamed up with Gabe Clauson and won the Coastal Baggers Regional, and he didn't just win it, he won it with a vengeance. That vengeance included going undefeated and finishing with the 3rd highest PPR in Tier 1 Doubles with a scorching hot DPR of 2. If that doesn't scream confidence, nothing does.

That's why we are honoring Jay Patto as this week's Legend of the Week. Not just for the win, but for the comeback that got him there. Confidence lost is one of the toughest things to get back in this game, and Jay did it the hard way — one bag, one tournament, one rep at a time. Hampton Roads Co****le is better when Jay is better. And if this past week and weekend were any indications, Hampton Roads Co****le is only getting better!

Congrats, Jay. Glad to see you back. 🔥👏

It takes a lot to play in a local regional event. Not everyone has the stamina to show up tournament ready two days in r...
01/12/2026

It takes a lot to play in a local regional event. Not everyone has the stamina to show up tournament ready two days in row. But that's what Nick Maitland did this past weekend. On Saturday he played in the Sykes Regional in Lawrenceville and on Sunday in the Coastal Bggers regional in Norfolk. For those of you that have never played in Lawrenceville, the director runs the blind draw, doubles, and singles all in one day. It's not unusual to not finish until late in the evening if you make a deep run. Anyway...

Nick's game this past weekend was spot on. His bag control was sharp, his in-game adjustments were on point, and when the pressure was on, he delivered. But let's be real. Nick isn't exactly known for his "quiet" intensity. He plays loud, he talks big, and if you're on the other side of the boards, you're probably going to hear about it. Some players find it motivating, some find it... less so. But here's the thing: that same fire that makes him a handful to play against is also what fuels his competitive drive. He shows up, he competes hard, and he backs up the talk with performance.

How good was his performance this weekend? At the Lawrenceville Regional he finished
2nd in the Blind draw
2nd in Tier 1 Doubles, and
1st in Tier 3 Singles

In Norfolk at the Coastal Baggers Regional, he finished
1st in Tier 3 Doubles, and
4th in Tier 3 Singles

In a game that is as much mental as it is physical, Nick showed that he knows how to get into the zone...and sometimes, in your head. Love him or roll your eyes at him, you can't deny his results. And it's because of his results this past weekend that we are excited to name Nicholas "Nick" Maitland as our

Legends Co****le Legend of the Week! Congrats, Nick, on an amazing two-day regional run!

He doesn't have the notoriety of Tim Nunez or Ashley Kearns.He definitely doesn't have the numbers at his regionals that...
12/29/2025

He doesn't have the notoriety of Tim Nunez or Ashley Kearns.

He definitely doesn't have the numbers at his regionals that Heather Mattox has.

In fact, there are probably more players at some of the local blind draws than there are players attending his regional tournaments.

But what he does have is a loyal following of players who, regardless of weather or conditions, attend his regional each month at "Gary's Place." If you have never been there, just think of the phrase "Out in the middle of nowhere"; Gary's place epitomizes that phrase.

Each month, Holden Sykes and his family hosts his Southside Co****le Regional there. And each month Holden shows up waaaay too early to set things up and is there waaaaay too late tearing it all down after the last bag is thrown.

On tournament days, he balances the demands of being a regional director with playing and managing what goes on in the snack bar area. But it isn't just Holden. It's a family affair as often times we are blessed with his wife and daughter, in-laws, and parents helping out, selling food and drinks throughout the day. I have even seen them grilling food for the players or making large batches of Brunswick Stew (I think).

To say that Holden does all of this each month so selflessly is an understatement. I have never heard him complain. Never seen him get upset. All I have experienced is a well-run regional with great snacks and good people. His tournaments may not be the biggest or flashiest. But his tournaments have something most regionals don't: that hometown feel you only get from a small town atmosphere and the from the people. And this is only possible with Holden's devotion to growing the game and ensuring the players have the best experience possible.

Because of the way he gives so much back to the co****le community without any notoriety, we are ecstatic to name Holden Sykes, ACL Regional Director, as our

Legends Co****le Legend of the Week! Congrats, Holden, and thank you for all you do.

There's a particular kind of transformation that happens in Army basic training—not the Hollywood version, but the real ...
12/15/2025

There's a particular kind of transformation that happens in Army basic training—not the Hollywood version, but the real one. It's the daily decision to keep going when everything in you wants to quit. It's learning that your limits were suggestions, not walls. It's discovering that the person who can push through discomfort, follow through on commitments, and lift up the people struggling beside them, not knowing that that person was in you all along.

Landon just completed Army basic training, and what makes that admirable isn't just the physical achievement. It's that he chose to show up when he could have stayed comfortable. He chose to be tested when he could have remained untested. He chose to become someone who can be counted on when things get hard.

As a veteran myself, I know basic training strips away excuses. There's no hiding, no half-effort, no "maybe tomorrow." For weeks, Landon was forged through repetition, exhaustion, and the discovery of what he is truly made of. He learned to operate when tired, to lead when uncertain, to trust and be trusted when it matters most.

That kind of commitment—to finish what you start, to become stronger than you were, to earn the right to serve—that's legendary. Not because it's flashy, but because it's real. Because it required Landon to dig deeper than comfortable and come out the other side changed.

Because of this, Landon proved something important: that he is the kind of person who doesn't just talk about doing hard things. He does them. And that's why we are so proud to announce that Landon Jase, US Army Soldier and defender of freedom, as this week's Legends Co****le

Legend of the Week! Congrats Landon! We are all so proud of you.

It can be difficult running a co****le tournament. There are so many things out of your control that can happen that it ...
12/09/2025

It can be difficult running a co****le tournament. There are so many things out of your control that can happen that it makes you feel like the tournament is a crap shoot, with hopes that everything goes as planned. Most times it does. Sometimes I wonder what person in their right mind would want to voluntarily run a tournament, much less one with thousands of dollars on the line. Cue Demetrie Wiggins.

Most of you probably don't know Demetrie, who goes by TJ. If you live and play co****le out Franklin way, you do. But Demetrie had this wild idea of hosting a tournament with a $5,000 pot with the idea of bringing co****le to the Franklin/Lawrenceville and surrounding areas, and bringing in the best players around. Mission Accomplished.

This past weekend he held his tournament at Gary's Place in Lawrenceville, and it was a rousing success. There were some hiccups and some miscommunications along the way, but none so severe that they interfered with the tournament. Through it all, TJ maintained his composure and positive outlook in order for the tournament to go off without any major issues. And for volunteering to run such a large tournament, planning it all, getting through all of the roadblocks along the way, finding a place to play, finding someone to run it, and everything else that goes along with such a large endeavor, TJ has set himself apart as a viable tournament host for future, large-scale events.

As such, for his efforts and unending energy, we are ecstatic to announce Demetrie "TJ" Wiggins as this week's Legends Co****le Legend of the Week! Congrats, sir! Much deserved.

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