Although the 124th Brawl of the Wild showdown between the University of Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State University Bobcats dominated Montana sports on Saturday, football wasn't the only exciting sport drawing in community members.
On Saturday, the Eagle Seeker Community Center hosted the 2026 Regional American Cornhole League (ACL) Montana Tournament, bringing in the best players from Montana, North Dakota and Idaho.
One 14-year-old from Billings was there, making history in professional cornhole, positioning himself to become the youngest Native American professional player in the nation.
See Mychal Eaglefeathers Jr. compete at Saturday's competition:
Mychal Eaglefeathers Jr. is not only an eighth grader at Will James Middle School, he's also a cornhole champion.
"He's won Big Sky State Games the last four years in a row. He's the Regional Champion in Montana the last two years in a row," said Mychal Eaglefeathers Sr., the teen's father.
The father-son duo have formed an unbreakable bond through the sport. Mychal Sr. started playing cornhole just to spend time with his son, who had been playing since age 10.
"I started playing just to hang out with him, 'cuz he was playing it so much. So, I got tired of just sitting on the sidelines watching. So, I started playing. Now we play together," he said Saturday.
Mychal Jr. and his partner are working towards becoming the first Native American professional cornhole players in the nation, representing both Montana and their Crow heritage.
"Both (are trying) to become Montana's first two top Native American Pros. No other Native Americans have done it either, so that's why we're really trying to get sponsorships, to get this going," said Mychal Sr.
Melvin McDuffie, who organizes all of the state games, has watched the young player's remarkable progression.
"When he first came in, he couldn't even hit the boards. And then now you see what level he's at. He's got his Pro card," McDuffie said.
After this competition, Mychal Jr. and his partner are heading to South Carolina for the 2026 ACL Opens. According to McDuffie, players must accumulate a certain number of points to qualify for professional status. Currently, Mychal Jr. qualifies for junior professional status.
McDuffie told MTN that he started local Montana cornhole tournaments from humble beginnings.
"(I) started out just playing like everybody else in my backyard, and then we started a club. And then everybody started getting to the point where they were real good. And then we started hosting tournaments in town," he said.
Despite his natural talent, Mychal Jr.'s father notes the teen doesn't even need to practice extensively to excel.
"He doesn't practice as much as he should," Mychal Sr. said while cackling.
For McDuffie, days like Saturday are opportunities to watch players, like Mychal Sr., develop their skills.
"I like putting the tournaments on to see all the players grow," he said.
Overall, Mychal Jr.'s father emphasized the pride he feels for his son's growth and talent with the sport.
"It makes me feel so great just to be here with him," Mychal Sr. said. "It keeps him off his phone. It keeps him out of trouble. So, if he doesn't do good in school, he doesn't get to do this. So, it keeps him focused."
Both Mychal Sr. and McDuffie are asking for help from the community.
When the new year begins, McDuffie is planning on hosting a new set of Montana ACL tournaments for players of all strengths, and he encourages community members to either attend or sign up to play.
"Next tournament will be taking off in December. And then in January, we'll start with all the different levels from beginners to advanced," he said.
As Mychal Jr. enters his professional career as a cornhole player, his father is in search of sponsorships to help fund travel costs and entrance fees. To learn more, Mychal Jr.'s team, Big Horn Cornfed Baggers has both a Facebook page and a donation account set up with Little Horn State Bank.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and portions of this article have been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
