DUPL SEASON 16 – WEEK 4: THE DROP IS HERE!

Week 4 of Season 16 is officially in the books, and after another six rounds at Mike’s House of Pinball, things are starting to get very interesting.

And the best news?

THE DROP SCORE IS NOW ACTIVE.

Starting this week, every player’s lowest weekly score is removed from their season total. One rough night, one missed week, or one evening where the pinball gods simply decided they hated you no longer has to define your season.

And just like that, the standings got a whole lot tighter.

THREE PLAYERS SHARE THE TOP SCORE OF WEEK 4

Nobody managed to earn a Perfect Night token this week, but three players came awfully close to owning the evening.

Brian Schlagheck, Tony Becker and Dan Souders all finished Week 4 with 21 points, tying for the best score of the night.

Right behind them came a whole crowd at 18 points:

Diane Spackman, William Bentley, Andrew “Muffins” Smith, Mitch Roth, Tom Lute, Matt Juhascik and Vern Staats.

When that many players are separated by just one match, every round matters.

AND NOW... WE DROP!

With four weeks completed, everyone now gets to throw their lowest weekly score directly into the trash.

Had a bad night?

Gone.

Missed a week?

That zero might disappear.

Got absolutely destroyed by a machine you normally love?

We never have to speak of it again.

For some players, the drop didn’t change much.

For others, it changed EVERYTHING.

And after recalculating the standings, Brian still sits on top — but the pack behind him is getting dangerous.

BRIAN HOLDS THE LEAD

After the drop, Brian Schlagheck remains in first place with 63 points.

Brian has been remarkably consistent so far, posting weekly scores of 21, 21, 18 and 21. Even after dropping an 18-point week — a score most people would happily keep — he still sits alone at the top.

That is a pretty good problem to have.

Tony Becker moves into second with 60 points, while Diane Spackman, William Bentley, Aaron Krueger and Andrew “Muffins” Smith are all sitting at 57.

Read that again.

Four players tied at 57.

That means only six points separate first place from sixth.

One match.

That’s it.

THE MIDDLE OF THE STANDINGS IS A TRAFFIC JAM

Tom Bentley sits at 54, with Tom Lute, Mitch Roth and Rob Altick also at 54.

That gives us another four-player cluster separated only by tiebreakers.

Teresa Roth follows at 51, while Matt Juhascik, Zach Stoddard, Daniel Graeter and Vern Staats all sit at 48.

The standings are officially packed.

Nobody has room to coast.

THE DROP SCORE IS ALREADY MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The drop rule is especially helpful for players who missed a week or had one rough outing.

Daniel and Vern, for example, each have a zero on the board — but with the drop in effect, that zero is no longer hurting their season total.

Dan Souders also benefits from dropping a missed week and now sits at 45 after his excellent 21-point Week 4 performance.

That’s exactly why the drop exists.

One bad week shouldn't end anybody's season.

But from here on out, things get more interesting.

Once you’ve already dropped your worst score, every new low score has the potential to replace it.

Translation:

You still need to play well.

NO PERFECT NIGHT TOKEN THIS WEEK

Remember our new Perfect Night rule: finish an entire league night undefeated and you earn a token that can be used next season to choose your machine for one round.

Week 4?

Nobody got one.

Brian, Tony and Dan all reached 21 points, but nobody finished the full six-round sweep.

The tokens remain safely locked away for another week.

FOUR DOWN. FOUR TO GO.

We have officially reached the halfway point of the regular season.

Brian has the lead.

Tony is three points back.

Then there is a four-player mob sitting at 57.

Another four-player group sits at 54.

And because the drop is now active, one rough week doesn’t necessarily send somebody tumbling down the standings.

But here's the catch:

Everybody else gets the same advantage.

From here on out, strong weeks become even more valuable because every time you improve on your lowest score, your season total can jump.

Four weeks remain.

Plenty of points are still available.

Nobody is safe.

And this season is nowhere close to decided.

Huge thanks to Mike Harris for once again opening up his incredible collection and hosting the Dayton Underground Pinball League.

We'll see everybody next week for Week 5 of DUPL Season 16!

Good luck. Play well. And remember — your worst week may disappear, but the rest of us still remember it.