🎉 Season 12 Kicks Off: Week 1 Recap 🎉

The ball has been plunged, the tilt warnings ignored, and Season 12 of the Dayton Underground Pinball League is officially underway!

And wow… Week 1 came out swinging. Let’s break it down:

🔝 Top of the Food Chain

Diane Spackman wasted no time in reminding everyone why she’s a force to be reckoned with. Dropping 95M on Rush LE and a staggering 172M on Jurassic Park, she walked away with a perfect 16 points. That’s how you make a statement on opening night.

Hot on her heels, we’ve got Jason Johnson and William Bentley locked in a tie at 15 points each. Jason was steady all night (his Getaway score of 84M was pure freeway madness), while William lit up Batman 66 with 511M like Gotham had just handed him the Batcave keys.

💥 The Heavy Hitters

Matt Juhascik put up monster numbers early, especially on Jaws LE, then kept his shark teeth sharp through Stranger Things and Dialed In to snag 12 points. Derek Helton matched him with 12, showing his range by dominating Rush with 88M. Both guys leave Week 1 in striking distance of the top three.

Zach Stoddard had himself a rollercoaster night—highlighted by an absurd 410M on Batman 66—landing him at 11 points and reminding the league that he can blow up a game at any moment.

🎭 The Drama Bracket

This is where the pack starts bunching up. We’ve got Dan Souders, Rob Young, Tom Bentley, Chris Lowe, Brittany Pritchett, and Rebecca Roderer all sitting on 11 points, which means half the room is breathing down the necks of the leaders. From Brittany’s clutch win on Gold Wings to Rob’s 487M blow-up on Rush, this middle tier is pure chaos waiting to spill over.

Special shoutout to Shannon Frye, who not only kept pace with 11 points but also put up a rock-solid 73M on Star Trek. Always the bridesmaid? Maybe. Always in the conversation? Absolutely.

⚡️ The Wildcards

A few players may not have cracked the top yet, but their highlight reels are already worth talking about:

• Tony Becker dropped a crisp 110M on Jaws but couldn’t quite turn it into more than 10 points.
  
  

• Mitch Roth stormed onto Theatre of Magic with a 293M opener, proving he’s here to play even if the standings don’t show it yet.
  
  

• Joshua Simala… well, buddy, Week 1 wasn’t your friend. But hey, everyone needs a warm-up week. The comeback arc writes itself.
  
  

🏆 Standings Snapshot (After Week 1)

1️⃣ Diane S. – 16 pts
2️⃣ Jason J. – 15 pts
2️⃣ William B. – 15 pts
4️⃣ Derek H. – 12 pts
5️⃣ Matt J. – 12 pts
6️⃣ Zach S. – 11 pts
…and a traffic jam of contenders right behind them.

🎳 Final Word

If Week 1 is any indication, Season 12 is shaping up to be wild. Diane may be holding the crown for now, but the pack is hungry, the scores are explosive, and everyone knows in DUPL, one bad drain can turn the whole season upside down.

Next week’s battles can’t come soon enough. 🔔