San Fran’s Emporium Hi-Scorium Finals Crown Aguiar Champion

San Francisco’s Emporium Arcade Bar isn’t just a pinball venue — it’s a stage. On September 17, the three-level space on Divisadero Street lit up for the Finals of Emporium Hi-Scorium, a group matchplay showdown that capped a marathon day of qualifying.

The scene had everything: graffiti murals glowing in neon, DJs spinning late into the night, and rows of Stern moderns waiting to test even the most seasoned competitors. Four players remained after hours of qualifying, each bringing a different story to the stage:

• Lawrence Aguiar of Redwood City — a grinder with a habit of finishing strong.
• Kyle Reidy — ranked 314th in the world, the favorite on paper, and no stranger to high-pressure matches.
• Shannon Sweetser of San Francisco — nearly a decade of experience, a respected veteran of close to 200 events.
• April ONeil — the underdog, earning her finals berth through steady league play and climbing fast up the IFPA ladder.

The format was simple: three rounds, three Stern machines, one champion. Group matchplay meant all four finalists would share the same machine each round, with placements scored 4–3–2–1. Unlike knockout, consistency mattered more than a single hot run. Every ball would be measured not just against the machine, but against three rivals standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

Round 1 – Jurassic Park (Pro): Dinosaurs Don’t Play Nice

The opening machine was Stern’s Jurassic Park (Pro), Keith Elwin’s 2019 masterpiece. Competitive players revere it for its depth and fear it for its brutality. The ruleset allows for layered strategy, but the outlanes can feel like raptors lurking, ready to eat your progress alive. For the bold, there’s even a secret skill shot — a short plunge into the Chaos Multiball standup — worth 10 million points, though far easier said than done.

This game turned into a war of attrition. For 76 minutes — the longest round of the entire tournament — the finalists fought to stay alive.

1. Kyle Reidy lived up to his ranking, playing controlled and precise.
2. Shannon Sweetser leaned on experience and composure.
3. Lawrence Aguiar, normally Mr. Consistency, stumbled early.
4. April ONeil took the hardest knocks on a machine that refused to show mercy.

Jurassic Park set the tone: nothing in this finals was going to come easy.

Round 2 – Star Wars (Pro): Speed and Chaos

Next up: Star Wars (Pro), Steve Ritchie’s 2017 design and one of Stern’s most polarizing moderns. It’s a game of breakneck speed where loops can whip past before you even register the ball, and the Hyperloop — a magnetized orbit shot — adds flash to the frenzy. Some players thrive on its combo-heavy flow; others curse it as chaotic and unforgiving.

Here, the chaos flipped the script.

1. Lawrence Aguiar, recovering from his Jurassic stumble, locked in and rode the fast flow to a statement win.
2. April ONeil shook off her rough opener with a gutsy performance, her best finish of the night.
3. Kyle Reidy couldn’t find the same rhythm, surrendering his early lead.
4. Shannon Sweetser fell victim to Star Wars’ speed, proof of how merciless Stern’s fastest designs can be.

With one round left, the standings had tightened, and Lawrence had momentum squarely on his side.

Round 3 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Pro): Heroes in a Half Shell

The decider came on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Pro), Dwight Sullivan’s 2020 release. Where Jurassic Park demands survival and Star Wars thrives on chaos, TMNT rewards tactical planning. Character select changes the approach entirely: Donatello gives easier access to Turtle Power Multiball, Leonardo stacks mode scoring, Raphael gambles on risk/reward. Themed to the hilt, it’s a game that rewards precision but punishes hesitation with its tight shot geometry.

The turtles delivered a fitting finale.

1. Lawrence Aguiar stayed hot, building on his Round 2 win with another first place to seal the championship.
2. Kyle Reidy fought hard, but couldn’t overcome Lawrence’s surge.
3. Shannon Sweetser closed steady, enough to keep her on the podium.
4. April ONeil finished last here, but at least she got to play Ninja Turtles as April ONeil — something no one else in the building could claim.

For Lawrence, the finals became a textbook example of recovery: stumble early, reset, and close hard.

Spotlight on the Players

Lawrence Aguiar – The Closer
Four years in, Lawrence has already logged 130 tournaments and 26 top-3 finishes. Known for finishing strong, his resilience was on full display here: after opening with a third on Jurassic Park, he rattled off two straight wins to claim the title. His long-running rivalry with Shannon Sweetser tilted further in his favor (42–10 lifetime), but what stands out most is his ability to absorb setbacks and deliver under pressure.

Kyle Reidy – The Favorite
At IFPA rank 314, Kyle entered as the highest seed. With over 120 events under his belt and a history of deep runs at marquee California tournaments, expectations were high. His Round 1 win on Jurassic Park looked like a coronation in the making, but two rougher rounds left him in second. Still, his consistency across all three games confirmed his place among California’s top contenders.

Shannon Sweetser – The Veteran Voice
With nearly 200 events and close to a decade of experience, Shannon is one of the Bay Area’s most respected competitors. Her second-place finish on Jurassic Park showed her poise, even if later rounds pulled her back. Finishing third overall, she once again demonstrated why she’s a fixture of the scene: steady, battle-tested, and always in the mix.

April ONeil – The Underdog on the Rise
April’s finals run was more than a debut — it was a breakthrough. Her second-place finish on Star Wars was the highlight, but the bigger story was her recent IFPA jump: more than 2,400 spots, the largest of any finalist. Rooted in LA league play and now branching into Bay Area events, she represents the next wave of players rising through the ranks.

Wrapping Up

The Emporium Hi-Scorium Finals packed a full season’s worth of drama into just three games. Machines that chewed up even veteran players, swings that reshuffled the standings round after round, and storylines that stretched well beyond a single night.

What made it memorable wasn’t just the outcome — it was the mix of personalities on stage. A proven closer in Lawrence, a favorite in Kyle, a veteran voice in Shannon, and an underdog on the rise in April. Together they turned Emporium’s neon glow into a showcase of what competitive pinball is all about: skill, resilience, and community.

As the last ball drained and the crowd spilled back into the arcade, one thing was clear: this wasn’t just another finals. It was another chapter in the Bay Area’s growing pinball story — the kind of night that keeps players coming back, chasing the next moment under the lights.