PSC Wins Inaugural YSCC Cornhole Championship
Duo of Pinski and Haslett claim top spot at Word of Life
Pottersville, NY ~ The first-year duo of Tony Pinski (Perrysburg, OH) and Oak Haslett (Grimsby, ON) walked away as the inaugural champions of the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) Cornhole Tournament.
Paul Smith's College sent five teams down to Word of Life Bible Institute (WOLBI) in Pottersville, NY during a beautiful and sunny day in late April. After a first round that saw each team advance, the Bobcats faltered and each team was sent to the losers bracket, from there, only War Machine emerged, the team name of tandem Tony Pinski and Oak Haslett.
"That losers bracket run was intense," said Pinski. He went on to describe the run to the finals and what it took to get there. "After that first playoff loss, we had to win every game - there was no room for error. But we stepped it up, and things started to click. I remember a couple of those games where we were down, but we just kept battling. Oak was a beast, especially when he was throwing with his off hand. He was just dealing. That whole run was a grind, and taking the championship against the team that sent us to the losers bracket made it that much better."
Haslett spoke to the unexpected situation the team found themselves in, after not even making it to the finals of the PSC tournament just a couple weeks prior in Buxton Gymnasium. The fact that they were able to come out on top speaks to the skill and depth of the team as a whole.
"Going into Word of Life, I didn't think that we would be the ones pulling away with the championship win," remarked Haslett. "After a long road through the brackett and Tony putting up some huge numbers to keep us winning games we were able to make it to the finals. The team we played against didn't come to play and we were lights out the whole game. Huge win for Paul Smith's and I'm excited to see what the team can do next year," he added.
It was a fitting end to the first season of competitive cornhole at PSC. Next season, the Bobcats will look to add more games to the schedule and start competing in earnest as the program grows in popularity both at the local, regional, and national levels.
You can follow the Cornhole team on Instagram at @psc.cornholers or follow the Paul Smith's College Athletics account at @smitty_nation for scores, highlights, pictures, and much more!
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