The high-voltage hum of a pristine solid-state classic collided with the fresh electronic chime of modern pinball inside Atomic Age Modern as the final two competitors stepped up to settle the score. With the tournament championship on the line, Brad Vogus faced down top-seeded Mark Farina Jr. in a high-stakes, sudden-death showdown on Firepower (Williams, 1980). The rules of the Amazing Race finals format were absolute: one bad ball meant instant elimination. Vogus, tracking the ball with complete focus, systematically completed the center standups to light his spinner and ball save, ripping the spinner to lock down a massive 390,500 points. Farina Jr. fought back hard but drained out at 137,200, cementing an unforgettable climax to a grueling dual-stage tournament event.
The championship win crowned an absolutely flawless postseason performance, as Brad Vogus went undefeated through all 6 of their games on their way to first place. Vogus did not just survive the brutal elimination bracket; he dominated it entirely, posting the top score on 6 of 6 playoff machines. His masterclass in precision play was the ultimate storyline of the afternoon, turning a deeply competitive local draw into a personal showcase of premier flipper control. From the chaotic multi-player qualifying rounds to the isolated intensity of the finals arena, Vogus refused to drop a single game once the playoff lights turned on.
Breaking the Team Rocket Mech
While Firepower settled the podium, the true soul of the weekend was the official introduction of Stern’s brand-new Pokémon (Premium) to the local competitive scene. Released just two months prior in February 2026, the machine was the undisputed centerpiece of the event, drawing crowds of spectators eager to see how the state’s best players would attack its deep ruleset. In tournament play, the machine proved to be a volatile beast. Experienced players quickly warned against holding the left flipper for a traditional skill shot, choosing instead to focus entirely on shooting the main four shots three times apiece to cycle through individual pocket-monster modes.
The new title truly took center stage during Round 2 of the finals, where Brad Vogus and Stephen Shufran squared off in an intense, 32-minute head-to-head endurance battle. Shufran executed a brilliant strategy, continuously targeting the center standup targets to break the Team Rocket mech and activate highly lucrative multiball modes. He put up an admirable 19,532,750 points, a score that would normally command a victory on the fresh playfield. However, Vogus found an entirely different gear. Weaving together smooth combos and safely cradling dangerous feeds, Vogus blew the game wide open with a breathtaking 60,076,660 points to eliminate Shufran and keep his perfect playoff streak alive.
Chaos and Upsets in the Pace Gauntlet
The road to the finals was forged through a punishing, 29-player Pace Match Play qualifying phase where survival required constant consistency. The local field was remarkably deep, packed with 28 IFPA-ranked regulars who knew each other’s styles inside and out. The tournament kicked off with immediate drama on Pokémon (Premium) in the very first round, where Jason Barre made an early statement by capturing first place in a high-scoring four-player group against Frankie Estrella, Stephany Miller, and Michael Forsee. Barre’s aggressive opening round set a frantic pace for the rest of the qualifying field.
Simultaneously, a historic upset was brewing on the opposite side of the establishment. Playing on Metallica Remastered (Premium) (Stern, 2024), Grey Farina—ranked #16,343 nationally—found himself grouped with Brad Vogus, who sat more than 15,000 spots ahead of him at #622. Undeterred by the massive ranking gap, Grey Farina played the game of his career. Navigating the dangerous tombstone targets and maximizing his “Resurrect” ball save features, Farina shocked the room by taking first place and 7.00 tournament points. Vogus was forced to settle for a frustrating second place, while Chris Stoltenberg and Aric Stults watched from the bottom of the scoreboard. It was a stark reminder of how unforgiving the Atomic Age Modern lineup could be.
Farina Jr.’s Run to the Top Seed
While Vogus navigated the early tournament potholes, Mark Farina Jr. looked entirely untouchable throughout the afternoon. Serving notice to the entire room, Farina Jr. put up the top score on 4 of 6 machines played on his way to first place in the qualifying rounds. His relentless performance extended an incredible top-3 streak of 3 consecutive events, a dominant run that originally began back in August 2025 at the Stern Army – Silverball Sunday. Farina Jr. has been a rocket ship on the IFPA ladder over the past twelve months, climbing 262 positions nationally through aggressive, calculated tournament play.
Farina Jr. showcased his mastery of diverse eras by dismantling opponents on the venue’s vintage titles. In Round 4, he dominated the classic Strikes and Spares, perfectly executing backhand passes to safely feed the upper playfield lanes. By the time the sixth and final qualifying round arrived, the tournament’s top contenders were pushed to their absolute limits on Volley (Gottlieb, 1976). In a grueling 16-minute, four-player square-off designed to finalize the postseason bracket, Louis Rulon put up a stellar 72,630 points to edge out Jason Barre’s 66,590. Behind them, Dave Halley and Bob Kennedy scraped for every single bonus multiplier point, finishing third and fourth respectively to barely squeeze into the top-eight playoff cut.
A Whirlwind Evacuation
The transition to the Amazing Race format immediately raised the temperature inside the venue. The cozy, neon-lit establishment provides an incredibly vibrant atmosphere for competitive pinball, with players routinely balancing the stress of the bracket by bringing in modest refreshments and enjoying the proximity of the excellent Venezuelan dinner spot next door. But as the playoff rounds commenced, the social chatter evaporated into dead silence. Bob Kennedy was the first to fall in the opening round on Nine Ball, unable to keep pace with Vogus’s precise horseshoe shots. Stephen Shufran followed him out the door after the legendary Pokémon battle, and Jason Barre was bounced in third round action on Dolly Parton.
By Round 6, only three players remained, and they were escorted to a beautifully leveled Whirlwind (Williams, 1990) to decide who would play for the title. The classic system-11 machine is notorious for its spinning playfield discs and a left ramp that can easily spell disaster if shots are struck sloppily. Louis Rulon played an excellent, controlled game, collecting steady cellar awards to secure a highly respectable 1,641,110 points. Unfortunately for Rulon, Brad Vogus was playing a completely different sport. Vogus locked his balls perfectly under the ramp, activated multiball, and repeatedly slammed the Million Plus side-ramp jackpot. He finished with an astronomical 6,978,280 points—a mind-boggling 4.3 times higher than Rulon’s score—to send Rulon to the podium in third place and punch his own ticket to the grand finale.
The final match on Firepower concluded an epic test of mental endurance and physical skill. While Mark Farina Jr. took home a well-deserved second-place trophy to sustain his phenomenal year-long streak, the weekend undeniably belonged to Brad Vogus. By conquering the state’s toughest competitors and completely rewriting the playbook on the brand-new Pokémon machine, Vogus etched his name into local pinball lore with a flawless playoff run that will be talked about at the Atomic Age counters for weeks to come.
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