Layne Norman, and his cornstalk that reaches more than a foot higher than an NBA basketball hoop, were named the tall corn grand champion at the Washington County Fair.

Norman’s stalk was recorded at 11’1” tall during the contest Monday evening. Mike Houston led the festivities and was impressed with how the kids overcame tough weather, “I’m really happy with the turnout. This is the first year we’ve held this contest. With the spring that we’ve had, it’s been challenging for everybody. It was tough for our customers, the farmers in the field, and with these kids too. They’ve had a lot of challenges. It rained pretty much the whole month of May. We’ve had lots of things, but I think it’s important for the kids to understand that it takes a lot of things to grow a good corn crop.”

Fellow 4H’er Ava Wolfe finished as runner-up with her stalk of 10’9”. Norman took home an honorary plaque and $100 as a prize.