WEST BOYLSTON, Mass. - Some of the area's best cornhole players were in west Boylston Saturday for some regional competition.

Local entertainment venue "The School Yahd" hosted singles and doubles matches for the American Cornhole League. Regional tournaments are held once a month. 28 teams competed for points on the yearly standings board. Professional players say the game has started to grow from beyond people's backyards into a worldwide phenomenon.

Cornhole is very addictive, everybody started in the backyard including us," said Chris Tornatola, an American Cornhole League professional. "And we started in the backyard sometime between 2015 and 2017.  We just used it for fun.  We had barbecues, and cookouts, and whatnot. Around the pool we’d set up some boards, we’d have some friends over, we’d play some pick-up games for fun. Add then at some point along the way, we took a serious interest in it and it started to turn. So, I got together with one of my friends and went and played a tournament. We won the first tournament we played in, then we played in a second tournament and won that one."

It’s in my heart, so when we play competitively, it’s not the same as on a baseball field, or basketball court, it’s family," said Carrie Shilale, an American Cornhole League regional director. "On the boards, you’re playing in your rounds, you’re trying to win.  But at the end everyone shakes hands, gives hugs, and appreciates each other."

The ACL says the hope is to make cornhole an Olympic sport, but they have to expand it into other countries first. Their season runs for roughly another month, coming to an end mid-July.