Player Spotlight: Brian and Zach Brewer

The next players to be showcased in our Player Spotlight series is a father-son team, Brian and Zach Brewer. Founders of Cobra Kai Cornhole, Brian and Zach started throwing bags years ago at their cousin Jacki's cabin in Pinetop. The two have played in a few charity/fundraiser tournaments in the past but just recently got serious about the game over the last 6-8 months.

Brian was introduced to the game by his cousin after he played bags while tailgating at a Chicago Bears game. His cousin bought a starter set, or as Brian calls it a "retrospectively horrible set of boards and bags", that helped them get excited about the game. From there, Brian and his friend Jay decided to build a couple sets of boards and bought a few sets of good corn filled bags that they would use during the summers up north.

Like many players, Brian and Zach felt that they were pretty good players until they competed in a charity tournament with some of the top players in the area. It's then that they learned how serious the game can get. After one of the tournaments, Brian talked to one of the advanced players who encouraged him to keep at it. Now, instead of playing a few times per month, the duo is playing 4-5 times a week.

Initially, Zach thought Brian and his friends were crazy when they started practicing several times per week. Zach also laughed when the group named themselves Cobra Kai Cornhole and sported t-shirts with their new logo. But, gradually Zach became a fixture in their nightly practice sessions at "The Dojo" (their backyard) and can be seen at tournaments with his very own Cobra Kai Cornhole t-shirt and his supportive girlfriend Trinity, who has also become interested in playing.

After practicing for several weeks, Team Brewer and four other Cobra Kai teams signed up for a competitive tournament 6-7 months ago. They won very few games but got a chance to meet and play against some of the top players in the state. At this tournament they discovered pro-style bags & skinny boards. They were hooked!

Being so new to the competitive scene, Brian and Zach's main objective right now is to get their bags "straight and flat".  They practice frequently on a set of skinny boards (1' wide), which will let them know immediately if their bags are staying straight and flat. From there, they see the importance of working missed bags to the hole. Finally, while airmails are usually the last thing that comes for the advanced player, tackling that part of the game is their next step. They know airmails and consistency is the difference between intermediate and advanced players.

In a relatively short amount of time, Zach and Brian have had a few solid finishes in tournaments. In the intermediate division of the East/West Challenge, the pair took 5th place out of 28 teams. This past Saturday, they finished 3rd place out of 18 teams at Founder's Day Battle of the Bags. Brian is currently the #1 Intermediate player in the East Valley Cornhole league on Mondays at The Draft. The pair will build on their recent success as the travel to Las Vegas to compete in the Wild West Shootout this weekend.

Brian and Zach have big goals for the upcoming season. In the short term, they want to win a  intermediate regional tournament. After that, they are hoping to make a little bit of noise by the time the next summer rolls around with the 2018 Arizona State Cornhole Championships, Surf Rodeo and The Throw Down.

Zach, a senior at a local High School, plans to follow in his sister's footsteps by attending NAU next fall. He was selected as a "spotlight senior" and will have a full page about him in the yearbook where his new passion for cornhole will be prominently displayed on the page.

Brian travels the country frequently for work. With his new passion for cornhole he seeks out new places to play in different states. He will continue to look for these opportunities when possible.

The duo has enjoyed the competitiveness of cornhole over the past few months. Playing together has taken it to another level. At first, the two were worried about playing together because they didn't want to let the other person down. But, they have found that competing together has made them closer. Brian and Zach look forward to continuing this journey as a father-son force for years to come.