CLAWSON, MICHIGAN – For just the second time in 15 long, cautious months, cornhole returned to Dibble’s house—a place that once nearly became a hazmat site.
The reason for the extended hiatus is technically “unknown,” but most of us remember Week 5 of the 2024 season: a night forever burned into memory thanks to Dibble’s so-called “authentic” chicken fajitas. Several in the league went down faster than a poorly thrown bag, guts bubbling and rumbling, buttholes straining to hold back pressurized poo spray. It was so bad, some of us (ahem, ahem) battled 12 rounds of Montezuma’s revenge during a road trip to Indianapolis the next day, ultimately losing that battle when the trap door failed to trap one more time.
This week’s invite came with a disclaimer, albeit a mental one for those afflicted in 2024: “BYO-Imodium”.
When Dibble apologized for ordering pizzas instead of “doing it big” like he prefers, not so subtle whispers jokingly brought up the Great Fajita Disaster, and Dibble got defensive.
“I marinated those for 24 hours!” he pleaded.
“Yeah,” someone muttered, “in Salmonella.”
Thankfully, the night ended with minimal gastrointestinal trauma.
Progress.
GAME OF THE NIGHT
In a matchup that many expected to be a one-sided affair, Erik and Flowers flipped the script and delivered a stunning upset in Game 12 over the heavily favored duo of Joe and Nick in what may go down as one of the most electrifying cornhole battles of the year – not only for the quality of play, but given the rooting interest from the crowd this had to feel like a road match for Joe and Nick – if such a thing existed.
Coming into the match, Erik and Flowers were viewed as long shots, outmatched on paper and facing a pair known for consistency and firepower. But the game isn’t played on paper—it’s played on the boards. And when it mattered most, the underdogs leveled up.
After a slow start and trailing 8-4 early, Erik and Flowers locked in. What followed was an 11-4 run fueled by Erik averaging 7.7 points per round (“ppr”) during the run while adding seven points to the scoreboard and Flowers chipping in another four points. Suddenly, they had flipped the momentum and taken a 15-12 lead that they would never relinquish.
Joe and Nick fought to stay within striking distance, keeping the scoreboard close at 16-14, then 18-14, and eventually 19-16. But Erik had saved his best for last.
With the game on the line, Erik uncorked a monster 12-3 round—shutting the door emphatically and sealing the victory in style. It was the final stamp on a breakout performance, as he outclassed his counterpart Joe by throwing an impressive 6.9 ppr to Joe’s 5.5.
On the opposite end, Flowers may not have had the flashiest stat line, but he was the unsung hero. Tasked with containing the explosive Nick, Flowers played a gritty, tactical game, effectively neutralizing every threat Nick presented. He finished the match with just minus-2 net points (62 – 60), nearly matching Nick’s 5.6 ppr with his own 5.5. He mucked up the board, wisely avoiding a bag-running contest with Nick—and it made all the difference.
The message should be clear: anyone in this league can win, and even the strongest duos are beatable.
Congratulations to Erik and Flowers for arguably the best win of the season.
MUSHROOM STAMP MOMENT
The Mushroom Stamp Moment (“MSM”) is awarded to a first-time recipient this week – Dan Canada. Game 10 featured Dan Canada and KP against Paul and Austin, with Dan having the unenviable task of a head-to-head with Paul.
With the scored tied 3-3 Dan unleashed remarkable consistency in the third round, throwing his first four-bagger of the season to add seven points for his team (12-5 round win). That, however, is not the MSM.
Paul and Austin clawed back from that early 10-3 deficit to take a 16-15 lead late in the match. Paul had fired all of his bags for eight points, while Dan scored just six points with one bag remaining.
The conservative play was to lay-up to yield one point for Paul because both of Paul’s bags on the board were blocking the hole. Yet Dan tossed the perfect cut-roll bag that stayed left of the blockers and made a last-minute right turn into the hole, like an old Asian woman cutting across three lanes of traffic to exit the freeway in a moments notice.
KP celebrated his partner’s shot before turning to Austin, who had a stunned look on his face. “I’m not sure how the physics of that bag just worked, but that was one of the most unbelievable shots I’ve seen,” KP said, sheepishly.
Dan turned a round destined for giving up points into a 9-8 advantage, tying the score 16-16. His team won the game in the next round, largely due to riding the momentum Dan created with the shot that earns him the Mushroom Stamp Moment of the week!
This week’s box score is below.
| Week 15 Power Rank | Name | Week 15 Wins | Week 15 Losses | Week 15 Win % | Week 15 Saves | Week 15 Chokes | Week 15 Comebacks | Week 15 KPM | Week 15 Gross Points Per Round | Week 15 Toss Accruacy | Week 15 Cornholes Per Round | Week 15 Cornholes | Week 15 Cornholes Per Game | Week 15 Gross Points | Week 15 Gross Points Per Game | Week 15 Net Points For | Week 15 Net Points Against | Week 15 Net Points For Per Game | Week 15 Net Points Against Per Game | Week 15 Net Point Differential | Week 15 Foot Snags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KP | 3 | 3 | 50% | 1 | 1 | - | 23.0 | 7.1 | 81% | 1.9 | 69 | 11.5 | 255 | 42.5 | 89 | 96 | 14.8 | 16.0 | (1.2) | 0 |
| 2 | Paul G. | 3 | 1 | 75% | 3 | - | - | 22.4 | 7.0 | 90% | 1.7 | 34 | 8.5 | 140 | 35.0 | 79 | 36 | 19.8 | 9.0 | 10.8 | 0 |
| 3 | Nick | 4 | 2 | 67% | 2 | - | 2 | 20.1 | 6.3 | 84% | 1.5 | 70 | 11.7 | 298 | 49.7 | 111 | 88 | 18.5 | 14.7 | 3.8 | 0 |
| 4 | Dibble | 4 | 2 | 67% | 2 | - | 1 | 20.0 | 6.2 | 75% | 1.6 | 61 | 10.2 | 236 | 39.3 | 112 | 93 | 18.7 | 15.5 | 3.2 | 0 |
| 5 | Joe S. | 3 | 3 | 50% | 3 | - | - | 19.4 | 6.1 | 83% | 1.4 | 65 | 10.8 | 282 | 47.0 | 110 | 87 | 18.3 | 14.5 | 3.8 | 0 |
| 6 | Turley | 4 | 4 | 50% | 2 | 1 | 2 | 19.1 | 6.1 | 86% | 1.3 | 69 | 8.6 | 316 | 39.5 | 134 | 117 | 16.8 | 14.6 | 2.1 | 0 |
| 7 | Austin | 2 | 4 | 33% | 2 | 1 | - | 19.0 | 6.0 | 82% | 1.4 | 56 | 9.3 | 246 | 41.0 | 99 | 96 | 16.5 | 16.0 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 8 | Matt H. | 3 | 2 | 60% | 2 | 1 | - | 19.0 | 6.0 | 81% | 1.4 | 44 | 8.8 | 192 | 38.4 | 92 | 78 | 18.4 | 15.6 | 2.8 | 0 |
| 9 | Erik | 3 | 2 | 60% | 2 | - | 1 | 17.4 | 5.6 | 82% | 1.2 | 38 | 7.6 | 184 | 36.8 | 68 | 78 | 13.6 | 15.6 | (2.0) | 0 |
| 10 | Flowers | 4 | 2 | 67% | 3 | 1 | - | 16.7 | 5.4 | 81% | 1.1 | 49 | 8.2 | 247 | 41.2 | 112 | 90 | 18.7 | 15.0 | 3.7 | 0 |
| 11 | Mike R. | 2 | 3 | 40% | 1 | - | - | 15.0 | 4.8 | 73% | 1.0 | 29 | 5.8 | 145 | 29.0 | 60 | 80 | 12.0 | 16.0 | (4.0) | 0 |
| 12 | Canada | 2 | 4 | 33% | 1 | 1 | - | 13.7 | 4.5 | 74% | 0.8 | 28 | 4.7 | 162 | 27.0 | 71 | 111 | 11.8 | 18.5 | (6.7) | 0 |
| 13 | JV | 1 | 5 | 17% | 1 | - | - | 13.2 | 4.3 | 70% | 0.8 | 25 | 4.2 | 143 | 23.8 | 44 | 114 | 7.3 | 19.0 | (11.7) | 0 |