Fountain Hills has produced a number of championship athletic teams over the years and, while the majority of these teams come out of the high school, the town’s latest championship caliber team came from a business just a block away from the school.

On Feb. 20, Fountain Hills Goodwill employees, Brian Rohn and Steve O’Connell, represented their store in the company’s cornhole state finials at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

This championship match-up is the result of an almost yearlong season of single elimination games.

“Starting in probably March or April of last year we started getting news about the tournament,” O’Connell said. “They called it the Great American Cornhole Tournament but even then I was like, I’m not going to win this thing. Just getting to play one game would make it worth it.”

O’Connell ended up playing a lot more than just one game. Both he and Ronan spent a good amount of time traveling around the state to other stores for games as they continued to win.

“We have driven out to Ahwatukee for a game,” Rohn said. “We’ve driven to Mesa a handful of times. We’ve only had one team want to come out here to Fountain Hills. So not only have we won, but we have been winning on the road.”

That road finally led the pair to the Talking Stick Arena were Goodwill held its yearly Town Hall for staff.

The setting was a little different for the two considering that their previous games were in the back of warehouses.

“The whole experience for the entire event was awesome,” O’Connell said. “You’re out there on the Suns’ court. People were screaming; it was so loud. It was really fun and I am not going to lie, I got a little bit of the jitters.”

Unfortunately, Rohn and O’Connell ultimately lost the championship match but still walked away with $200 and a cornhole set to get ready for the next season.