On a crisp September evening in Fort Collins, the streets were quiet under broken clouds and a cool 59 degrees. But inside Pinball Jones, the silverball was alive. Season 24 of the Pinball Jones League opened on September 17th, bringing 17 players into the basement arcade for three hours of group matchplay.
By the end of the night, one name had everyone talking: Jered Prostrollo, a newcomer with only nine career events on his card. Against a room stacked with Colorado veterans, Prostrollo turned heads and toppled expectations, walking away as the Week 1 champion.
From Wallflower to Wizard
Before this week, Prostrollo was more an observer than a contender. His average finish was 19th, and his competitive résumé could be tucked into a fortune cookie. By comparison, his rivals in Fort Collins are tournament lifers—players with a decade of experience and cabinets full of T-shirts and plaques.
What happened in Week 1 was the kind of story pinball players love: the rookie who comes in under the radar and sends shockwaves through the field.
Twilight Zones and First Blood
Prostrollo’s league journey started on Twilight Zone (Bally, 1993), one of the most iconic widebodies of the ‘90s. Pat Lawlor’s design crams in a gumball machine, a powerball, a magnetic mini-playfield, and rule sheets that could double as bedtime reading. It’s a game that chews up casual players.
Jered didn’t win, but he steadied himself for a second-place finish behind Brian Wilborn. Not bad for a rookie opening against a machine that eats newcomers for breakfast.
His second table of the night was Scared Stiff (Bally, 1996), Elvira’s campy carnival of cobwebs. Here Jered found his groove, outlasting his group and picking up his first win. It was the kind of result that makes the veterans glance over their shoulders and wonder if the new guy is for real.
From there, he battled on Medieval Madness (Williams, 1997)—the castle-smashing crowd favorite voiced in part by Tina Fey. Jered didn’t take the game, but he kept pace in a brutal four-player showdown. Then came Deadpool (Pro) (Stern, 2018), where he sealed another victory. By the time Round One wrapped, Prostrollo wasn’t just surviving. He was in the mix.
Fifty Years of Flippers
Pinball Jones rolled out a lineup that spanned nearly 50 years of design.
- Gorgar (Williams, 1979), the first talking pinball, growling “Me hurt you” at anyone brave enough to plunge.
- Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Bally, 1975), an Elton John-era relic that became the night’s workhorse. With marathon sessions averaging just under two hours, it tested everyone’s stamina.
- King Kong: Myth of Terror Island (Pro) (Stern, 2025), a brand-new title fresh from the factory, its LCD still smelling of new plastic.
That range—half a century from electromechanical-style classics to LCD-packed modern giants—meant every round tested different skills. Prostrollo had to adapt on the fly, proving he could keep his cool whether the game was 50 years old or five months new.
The Turning Point
By mid-tournament, it was clear that Prostrollo wasn’t fading. Each game was another test: could he hold off seasoned hands like Schlatmann and Fisher? Could he avoid the slip-ups that rookies often make on brutal games like Captain Fantastic or Gorgar?
The answer kept coming back the same: yes. He wasn’t dominating every game, but he was consistently scoring high enough to build a cushion. And consistency is often what crowns champions in group matchplay.
Beating the Best in the Basement
Prostrollo’s breakout win didn’t happen in a vacuum — it came against a field of Fort Collins regulars, each carving out their own stories on the night.
- Levi Fels (2nd place) — The 11-year veteran logged wins on Gorgar and Iron Maiden, showing his comfort on both classics and moderns. In one of the tighter groups, he held off Erika Stonebay and Alex Yohe on Foo Fighters (Pro), proving once again why he’s considered Fort Collins’ most reliable player.
- Will Schlatmann (3rd place) — Will’s highlight came on Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, where he topped Clint Reeves, Aidan Lancaster, and Devin Halsey in a grueling session that averaged nearly two hours. His steady play kept him near the top of the standings all evening.
- George Fisher (4th place) — Fisher’s best results came on Stranger Things (Pro) and JAWS (Premium), where he faced off against David Klausa and Josh Sonnier. George consistently took first or second in those modern Stern battles, cementing his spot in the final four.
- Daniel Albeyta — Ranked #969 in the nation and #4 in Colorado, Albeyta entered as the favorite. He showed flashes — including a win on The Addams Family over Paul Kardell and Jerry Valentine — but couldn’t string together enough victories to crack the top four.
While Jered didn’t directly battle Levi, Will, or George in his groups, his own strong showings on Scared Stiff, Medieval Madness, and Deadpool (Pro) stacked up point-for-point against the veterans’ results. In the end, consistency across his matchups outpaced even the most seasoned hands.
CO State of Silverball
Zooming out to the statewide scene, here’s the current Colorado IFPA Top 10:
| Rank | Player Name | City | WPPR Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walt Wood | Englewood | 337.21 |
| 2 | Ryan Altermatt | Denver | 275.02 |
| 3 | Donavan Stepp | Lakewood | 270.83 |
| 4 | Daniel Albeyta | Fort Collins | 249.00 |
| 5 | Ryan Wanger | Boulder | 247.58 |
| 6 | Oliver Baker | – | 240.96 |
| 7 | Austin Quinty | Westminster | 233.11 |
| 8 | Mat Brundage | Denver | 226.52 |
| 9 | Jackson Fry | Fort Collins | 199.05 |
| 10 | Justin Hinman | Denver | 193.66 |
Albeyta remains firmly entrenched despite his stumble, and Jered isn’t sniffing this table yet. But that’s how it starts—one league win, then another, then a few solid finishes at regionals. If he can build on this momentum, Fort Collins may soon have another name climbing toward state recognition.
The Heart of Fort Collins Pinball
For Jered Prostrollo, Week 1 of Season 24 was more than just another Wednesday — it was his arrival moment. But it wasn’t just Jered who came out a winner.
League nights like this are why Pinball Jones has become a cornerstone of Fort Collins nightlife. Tucked beneath Linden Street, the basement barcade has earned a 4.7-star reputation for its mix of classics, modern pins, and just the right amount of retro grit. Regulars praise the lineup’s depth — from 1970s icons to brand-new Sterns — and the atmosphere that makes newcomers feel at home. It’s the kind of venue where veterans sharpen their skills, rookies test their nerves, and families discover that pinball is still very much alive. On this night, it gave a rookie the stage to shock a room full of seasoned players.
The season is long, and Jered will need to prove his win was no fluke. But for one night in the basement under Linden Street, the rookie became the story.