Season 9 Recap
PGF Season 9, Week 1: Kings Strike First, Jett Takes the Board, and the Wolverines Feel the Heat
Opening Day in Las Vegas delivered 30 matches, immediate scoreboard movement, and clear early storylines: Kings control the team race, Jett leads the athlete board, and pressure is already building for the Wolverines.
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas did what Las Vegas does: lights up, pressure up, no room to hide. Week 1 of PGF Season 9 opened with 30 matches, immediate scoreboard swings, and one clear message by night’s end — the race is already on.
The Kings walked out of Opening Day where they have stood before: on top. Officially, they lead the team table with 34 points, ahead of the Phenoms (21), Twisters (19), and Wolverines (3). On the individual side, Jett Thompson sits at No. 1 with 14 points after bonus, with Shawn Melanson (10) and Austin Oranday (9) close enough to keep the board volatile heading into Week 2.
From the desk, the commentary felt accurate: the league is deeper, the margins are thinner, and standings can swing fast — but the Kings still look like a franchise that understands how to close.
Official Week 1 Team Standings
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kings | 34 |
| 2 | Phenoms | 21 |
| 3 | Twisters | 19 |
| 4 | Wolverines | 3 |
Official Week 1 Athlete Standings (Top 10)
| Rank | Athlete | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jett Thompson | Kings | 14 |
| 2 | Shawn Melanson | Phenoms | 10 |
| 3 | Austin Oranday | Kings | 9 |
| 4 | Jared Fekete | Kings | 8 |
| 5 | Chuy Magana | Kings | 8 |
| 6 | Kevin Beuhring | Twisters | 7 |
| 7 | Jake Straus | Twisters | 6 |
| 8 | Noah Mccully | Phenoms | 6 |
| 9 | Andrew Kochel | Phenoms | 5 |
| 10 | Cam Hurd | Kings | 5 |
The Kings’ Week 1 performance was not a one-off upset or a lucky block run. It looked like continuity. They won Season 7 as a team. Jett won the individual title in Season 8 even without a Kings team championship. Week 1 of Season 9 looked like the next chapter in the same project: legacy, not noise.
At multiple points in the broadcast, the running theme was simple — this team knows how to win nights, not just matches. The numbers back it up. Kings posted 15 in Block 1, 6 in Block 2, and then slammed the door with 13 in Block 3.
The biggest marker is still Jett. Two Kill wins, 12 base points, and after block bonus he lands at 14 to open the season. In a format built on pace, pressure, and momentum, starting at No. 1 matters. More importantly, he did not look like he was chasing points — he looked like he was setting tone.
The Kings lead, but this is not a runaway. The Phenoms and Twisters both had stretches where they looked ready to steal control.
The Phenoms’ second block surge mattered. They finished with 21 team points and put real names on the top athlete board: Melanson at No. 2 (10), Mccully at No. 8 (6), Kochel at No. 9 (5), Chambers at 4, and Rayfield still grabbing the bonus point that keeps him on the board.
The Twisters, meanwhile, are not far off at 19. Beuhring opened with 7, Straus posted 6, and their table position stays dangerous if they can convert more of the close spots into finishes. Week 1 did not separate them from the race — it kept them in striking distance.
There is no soft way to frame it: 3 points after Week 1 puts the Wolverines in immediate pressure.
And the night got harder late. Jonathan Wilson was unavailable for the final Wolverines match, and Joshua Squires came off the bench into a brutal assignment against Jett Thompson. That is a cold entry point into PGF pace and stakes.
Week 1 did not crown anything, but it did set the map: Kings look like a team pursuing legacy, Jett starts as the athlete to chase, Phenoms and Twisters are close enough to turn this into a real three-team fight, and Wolverines are now in urgency mode where every block matters.
Week 2 now becomes more than the next event — it is the first real test of whether this season turns into a Kings march or a multi-team war.