Beanbag Boss: Teen cornhole champ from Sahuarita stuns the competition

She’s used it to shut down grown men, something she takes pride in.

The 15-year-old junior pro cornhole player only started competing about three years ago, but has climbed the ladder pretty fast, her mom, Jessica Woods, said.

“She would surprise especially the older men,” Jessica Woods said. “They thought when they'd see her, they thought it was going to be an easy win and they were pretty surprised. Some of them are kind of upset, too, when they lose.”

The Sahuarita High freshman didn’t see herself stacking up accolades or traveling the country to compete when she first took an interest in cornhole at family gatherings with her dad, but here she is.

On Saturday, she’ll be one of about three dozen youth taking part in the Arizona State Scholastic Cornhole Championships, making its Tucson-area debut.

The event, for high schoolers and players 13 and under, will be held at the La Villita Community Center in Sahuarita, featuring singles and doubles competition.

Cornhole has gone mainstream, earning airtime on ESPN and showing up on social media, as well as creating scholarship opportunities at the college-level, said Athena Delgado, director of director and player engagement for the American Cornhole League.

“This event represents more than competition,” Delgado said, “It’s about giving young players a platform, building confidence, and showing them what’s possible in a sport that continues to grow at every level.”

Thus far, cornhole has taken Woods to Phoenix, where the state championship event has previously been held until now; California, Ohio, Texas, Colorado, Louisiana and to South Carolina for the World Championships, where she took home a gold medal in singles in 2024.

She’s been named Arizona’s woman of the year two years in a row and was the top junior player last year in the state.

All before she can even legally get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

With college just a few years away, Woods is aiming for a cornhole scholarship to a school like Winthrop University in South Carolina. She qualified to compete in the women’s pro division but opted to go the junior route for the scholarship opportunities, Delgado said.

A teen who loves drawing Disney characters and building Lego sets — her most recent an 834-piece "Lilo and Stitch" house — Woods says she doesn’t have a rigorous practice schedule, but she does throw at local events weekly to bi-weekly.

Consistency and good grip have been part of her keys to success, the teen said. Confidence is also a factor.

“Don’t get discouraged; if you don’t have a good mindset you’re going to get lost and frustrated,” Woods said.

Her pre-game ritual includes popping in her headphones and listening to BTS, a K-pop group.

More than shutting down grown competitors, some of whom storm off without so much as a “good game,” Woods values the cornhole community.

“People are really friendly, helpful and supportive,” she said. The teen brings joy in her own way to the cornhole community, dressing up in a chicken costume and running around the venues when she’s not competing.

Up until three years ago, the youth contests were part of an all-ages event. A desire to shine a spotlight on young talent and further grow the sport led to the birth of the Arizona State Scholastic Cornhole Championships, Delgado said.

“Anytime you can find a sport that can provide a student an opportunity to receive any level of scholarship to get education, it just seemed very important,” she said. “And that was when we made the decision three years ago to break off the kiddos, and say, ‘we need to put the limelight on this group of students, you know, give them the opportunity to have all eyes on them.’

“We really are working hard at bringing cornhole to more of a youth level. We have a lot of cornhole clubs at the middle school and high school level throughout the country, but we really are trying to do that here in Arizona. It just makes sense because we can play year round in Southern Arizona.”

Local American Cornhole League tournaments in the Tucson area can be found at iplaycornhole.com/events, often at Triple Play in Green Valley, Cafe Santa Rosa in Tucson and Marana Baggers in Marana.

Up for grabs at Saturday’s competition: trophies for first-, second- and third-place winners, plus a custom jersey for the champion.

There will also be a regional blind draw for adults not competing in the scholastic events.