By BILL BULEY

Staff Writer

POST FALLS — Running a cornhole tournament with more than 100 players takes a lot work. It’s a bit stressful. And when you’re also competing in that tournament as one of the top players, it can be a chore just keeping up.

But Justin Carpenter was glad to be doing both Saturday, and he knew why.

“Because I love the game,” he said.

Carpenter is a founder and vice president of 208 Cornhole, a club, and is also an owner of The Filling Station in Post Falls, which hosts a cornhole league with 36 teams going at it Monday and Tuesday nights. It started with 12 last summer.

“It’s insane,” said Carpenter, who played basketball at Coeur d’Alene High School. “It’s growing like crazy.”

The first American Cornhole League-sanctioned event was held in Kootenai County in January and attracted about 60 players. Nearly double that came out for the second ACL tourney Saturday that featured singles and team competition at Skate Line Sports. Every now and then, a roar erupted as a close match was settled.

Entry fees were from $15 for novice to $25 for advanced, with cash prizes going to the top players.

In one of the advanced singles matches. Kevin Cunningham of Spokane defeated Mark Schmelzer of Sandpoint, 21-15.

“I’m out now,” Schmelzer said. “It was a fun game, though.”

Cunningham kept his title hopes alive.

“It was a battle. He pushed me hard,” he said. “I’m still in it.”

Cornhole is a sport that’s found a strong following in North Idaho and Eastern Washington, with leagues in Sandpoint and Spokane.

It’s relatively simple to play and understand — but being good at it is another thing.

Here’s how it works: Players toss, underhanded, 1-pound bean bags at slanted boards with a 6-inch hole set 27 feet apart. Tosses in the hole count for three points while on the board is good for one point.

Kris and Rosie Morrison, who helped with organizing the tourney, said cornhole is even on ESPN. ACL tournaments around the country offer substantial prize money. Leagues and clubs are popping up and attracting more players nationwide.

A tournament coming up in Cleveland in two weeks attracted nearly 900 players and sold out in 90 minutes.

It could become an Olympic sport, too.

“It’s a growing sport,” Kris Morrison said.

He said it’s popular in North Idaho in part thanks to the weather. In the winter, games move indoors and it keeps players busy and out of the snow and cold conditions outdoors. In the sunny summer, the action moves outside, usually joined by barbecues and beer.

They are planning monthly tournaments at Skate Line that are sanctioned by the ACL and open to anyone.

“It’s in our backyard,” Kris Morrison said. “As you can see, everyone is coming together.”

Shem Hanks of Coeur d’Alene and his brother, Phil Hanks, quickly won their first team match.

“We had a good game,” he said.

Hanks plays in the cornhole league at The Filling Station once a week and has played in Spokane leagues. Next week, he’s headed to Boise for a tournament.

The sport is competitive and fun, Hanks said. Serious players have several sets of bags, ACL-approved boards, and practice at home and at bars.

“I’ve seen it expand so much from when I first started,” Hanks said.

Shem Hanks, who played basketball at Christian Center School on Prairie Avenue, said he’s seen many athletes take up cornhole.

“This is an opportunity to be competitive,” he said.

The 208 Cornhole club is nonprofit.

“We’re not in it for the money,” Carpenter said, “just the love of the game.”

James Mize of Sandpoint took up cornhole two years ago after his girlfriend won the game in a drawing. He and his friends tried it and he was hooked.

“At first, we had no idea what we were doing,” he said.

Mize does now.

Today, he organizes the Sandpoint Cornhole Classic in September with a $20,000 purse, plays in tournaments around the nation and signed a contract with the American Cornhole League.

Saturday, in singles play, he won six of his first seven matches.

Mize loves seeing players improve. Many start out in the novice category and with hard work and practice, move up to the advanced level.

“I just love the competitiveness,” he said. “It’s fun to be able to throw some bags and have a few adult-enhancing beverages, we call them.”