Cornhole, Anyone?

David Blankenship’s house is the place to be on Wednesday nights. Well, house is not the right word in this instance, though it is a few yards away. You see, a year ago, Blankenship took his love for the game of cornhole to a whole new level when he built a 40×45 foot building on his Haslet property — complete with four lanes for weekly games and leagues, room for spectators, and a food truck in case anyone gets hungry.
He named it 3B Ranch, and to say Blankenship isn’t the only cornhole enthusiast in the area would be an understatement.
“We were just trying to promote the sport, make some friends, and be part of the community — and it’s quickly grown,” Blankenship said. “We’re getting to the point where I might need to get a bigger building.”
He added, “It’s a lot of fun and good times out here. It’s an addictive sport; I’ll tell you that
right now.”
Blankenship, affectionately known as Blanks by his growing group of bag-throwing friends, admits that he and his wife, Shannah, didn’t know anyone when they moved from Wichita Falls seven years ago. He’d grown a deep appreciation for cornhole over the past five or six years and saw it as the perfect way to bring the community together. A simple sport that can be played anywhere at any time, cornhole is one of America’s most popular lawn games. It even has its own governing body in the American Cornhole League. The ACL has approximately 55,000 members, and enthusiasts range from everyday families playing together for fun to professionals who compete on a national stage for cash prizes.
In cornhole, players take turns throwing bean bags at a raised board with a hole in the far end. A bag in the hole is worth three points, while one on the board is one point. Play continues until a team or player reaches or exceeds 21 points.
“It’s a super simple game to play. But like any sport, the deeper you get into it, the more nuances you learn,” Blankenship said. “There are different types of bags — super slick, super slow; there are new bags coming out every week. So instead of just playing the game to get the bag into the hole, you’re also playing strategically — blocking other players, setting up shots, etc. It gets pretty in-depth when you really get into it.”
As for 3B Ranch, Blankenship says the facility continues to grow in popularity each week. Not only do they play individual games and leagues on Wednesdays at the facility, but several teams travel to various benefit events in the area. This includes a recent event in March to benefit the STEM Booster Academy at Northwest ISD.
The top three finishers from their recent playoffs include Quiet Storm (Troy Lobdell and Jeff Runge – 1st place), Say When Boys (Sammy Alaniz and Paul Chavez – 2nd place), and Partnah! (Bill Johnson and James Liggett – 3rd place).
“It’s our little cornhole family,” he said with a laugh. “It’s just good, clean fun with really good people. “We charge for leagues, but I don’t make any money off of it. The fees go into a pot and are paid out to the first, second, and third-place teams and during playoffs, too. The pot this season was
right around $2,000.”
To learn more about 3B Ranch, visit Blankenship’s 3B Ranch Regulators Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/3branchregulators.