NIBROC SPORTS: Stevens, Messer complete six-year journey to become NIBROC cornhole tourney champs

Persistence finally paid off for the local duo of Nate Stevens and Colson Messer last Friday night, as they took home first place in the News Journal’s Annual NIBROC cornhole tournament in downtown Corbin.

2019 marked Stevens and Messer’s sixth straight attempt at a NIBROC cornhole title, and it followed a runner-up performance in 2018 where they were defeated in back-to-back games in the championship round.

As fate would have it, Stevens and Messer were the ones that had to come out of the loser’s bracket of the 34-team double elimination tourney last week, meaning they would have to win back-to-back games in the finals in order to walk away as champs. It wasn’t easy, but determination and a will to win pulled them through.

“It feels great,” said Stevens just after the championship win. “We have played in American Cornhole League (ACL) events everywhere from Louisville to Ohio to St. Louis, but this has been one of the hardest tournaments to win.”

“It’s about having the bragging rights. This is the title that we wanted.”

Stevens and Messer defeated the team of David Ryan and “Cheese” Johnathon Donohoo of Tennessee in the tournament finals last Friday.
They were rewarded with a $400 cash grand prize, while Ryan and Donohoo walked away with the second place prize of $150.