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HUNTINGTON -- While cornhole was only part of the pre-game tailgate action for college football stadiums across the country, it was the main event at the Big Sandy Superstore arena Saturday.

At the Miller Lite World Championship of Cornhole V more than 200 cornhole competitors tossed hundreds of corn-filled bags during dozens of matches before most college football teams even lined up for kickoff Saturday afternoon.

The real action actually began Friday night when competitors began to arrive, Jack Williams, vice president of event operations for the tournament, said.

"As soon as players arrived, they were ready to start practicing and getting ready," Williams said. "At 1:30 a.m. we even had cornhole boards lined up in front of the arena to accommodate everyone. Then, we were right back at it again this morning."

Williams said overall Huntington has been a more than gracious host for the tournament, which kicked off with the Juniors' and Women's World Championships Saturday morning.

Margarita Randazzo, of Chicago, was half of the Women's World Championship team of "Randazzo and George."

Margarita's husband, Geno, has been playing cornhole for the last seven years and coaches the first and second ranked cornhole players in the tournament while Margarita has only been playing for about five years.

Despite that background, Margarita said she still wasn't sure if she had what it would take to win.

As a matter of fact, she never had competed in a tournament before she took home one of the professional wrestling-esque championship belts.

"I usually come to these tournaments to watch and support my husband," Margarita said. "Someone on my friend's team got sick, so she asked me to play. I thought, 'Why not?'

"My husband was watching and rooting for me, so it was the opposite of the usual."

Geno Randazzo said he was happy to finally see his wife compete.

Margarita said the championship win has provided her with the drive she needs to take her cornhole skills to the next level, where the second-ranked and Geno Randazzo-coached cornhole competitor, Steve Vanderver exists.

Vanderver said he only began playing cornhole six years ago when a he and his friends from work were tailgating before an Ohio State football game.

He said he and his co-workers became hooked to the game and eventually became tired of beating up on one another, so they started joining tournaments.

"We quickly realized we weren't as great as we thought we were, but instead of quitting, I decided I wanted to get better," Vanderver said. "If you are competitive at all, you can get to this level of competition with some good coaching and a lot of practice."

Vanderver said he was slowly getting better until Geno Randazzo became his coach about two years after he started playing cornhole.

With cash prizes in the thousands up for grabs in most cornhole tournaments, Vanderver said he doesn't see why more people aren't taking their skills from the tailgates to the tournaments.

"The sport is slowly evolving," Vanderver said. "People just need to find the right avenue to try to get better, and there are better avenues than just throwing in your backyard every now and then."

The World Championship of Cornhole V continues today beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. Admission to the tournament is free.

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Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch

Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch

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