Brighton senior Zac Blaylock signs cornhole scholarship

Three years ago, Zack Blaylock was a member of the Brighton High School freshmen football team.

One day he was lingering outside of the football field before a game and he saw some people playing cornhole. At the time, Blaylock was vaguely familiar with the sport.

“I had some time, so I decided to play,” Blaylock says now. “I ended up winning the tournament and I guess it just kind of took off from there.”

Fast forward three years: On Tuesday afternoon in front of family, friends and teammates, Blaylock signed a cornhole scholarship with Adrian College, a private school in Southern Michigan.

According to Blaylock, Adrian is the first college in the U.S. to competitively play cornhole. When Blaylock was competing in a national tournament two years ago in Myrtle Beach, S.C., an Adrian coach approached him about a scholarship. The coach told him scholarships were coming, and Blaylock was able to take advantage of that Tuesday afternoon.

“If you would have told me four years I was going to get a cornhole scholarship, I would probably would have said cornhole is not in college,” Blaylock said with a laugh.

BHS cornhole sponsor Becky McBride said Blaylock, who appeared on ESPN during the nationals this past season, has been one of the reasons the program has seen massive growth and success the last few years. In addition to competing at a high level, Blaylock is known for helping the team out in any way he can.

“He’s one of those people who is probably one of the hardest-working people I’ve met, inside and outside of the classroom, and especially in cornhole,” McBride said. “He’s always looking to improve. I don’t think we’d be where we are today without Zac … I’m definitely going to miss him being a part of our program.”