Wednesday, August 19, 2026 · Manor Valley Golf Course · Back Nine · Week 18 — Period 3: Late Season
Two weeks left in Period 3. The Back Nine at Manor Valley. Players who have been doing this every Wednesday since April and have absolutely no intention of coasting to the finish line. If Week 18 told us anything, it is that the Gopher Killers are the hottest team in the league right now, Rich Babjak is playing some of the best golf of his life, and Matt Ankeny quietly put together one of the cleanest rounds of the entire 2026 season.
The Late Season is living up to its name. Nobody is going through the motions out there.
🏆 Individual Leaderboard — Week 18
For the second time in three weeks, Rich Babjak (Gopher Killers) stood alone at the top of the leaderboard. Playing off an 8 handicap on the Back Nine, Babjak carded 20 Stableford points on a 42-stroke round — six over par with his net strokes working exactly the way they should. At this point in the season, the question is not whether Babjak will post a big number — it is how big. He has been the most consistent individual scorer in the WFL across all periods and he is showing no signs of slowing down as the season draws to a close.
Three players shared second place at 19 points, and each of them deserves individual recognition. Matt Ankeny (Gopher Killers) turned in what was arguably the finest single round of the evening — 40 strokes, four over par, off a 5 handicap on the Back Nine. That is elite ball-striking. To shoot 40 on the back at Manor Valley with only five net strokes in your pocket is a performance that would stand out in any format, on any night. John Mallick (Par-Tee Animals) matched the 19-point mark with a clean 44-stroke effort off a 9 handicap, and Ray Maffit (Par-Tee Animals) posted the exact same scorecard — 44 strokes, 9 handicap, 19 points. Two Par-Tee Animals, same score, same strokes, same handicap. The odds of that are remarkable.
Four players tied at 17 points to round out a stacked top of the leaderboard: David Del Signore (Green Assassins!, 41 strokes — the second-cleanest ball-striking round of the night), Jake Kovac (Four Play), and John Gogets (Stableford Stars) both at 45 strokes, and Bill Hensler (Four Play) posting 50 strokes off a 12 handicap — the handicap system working beautifully for Bill on the Back Nine.
| # | Player | Team | HCP | Strokes | vs Par | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rich Babjak | Gopher Killers | 8 | 42 | +6 | 20 |
| T2 | John Mallick | Par-Tee Animals | 9 | 44 | +8 | 19 |
| T2 | Matt Ankeny | Gopher Killers | 5 | 40 | +4 | 19 |
| T2 | Ray Maffit | Par-Tee Animals | 9 | 44 | +8 | 19 |
| T5 | David Del Signore | Green Assassins! | 4 | 41 | +5 | 17 |
| T5 | Jake Kovac | Four Play | 8 | 45 | +9 | 17 |
| T5 | John Gogets | Stableford Stars | 8 | 45 | +9 | 17 |
| T5 | Bill Hensler | Four Play | 12 | 50 | +14 | 16 |
| T9 | Bryan Conn | DragonballZ | 16 | 54 | +18 | 16 |
| T9 | Dwight Helfrich | DragonballZ | 11 | 49 | +13 | 16 |
| T9 | Jeff Siegel | Green Assassins! | 4 | 42 | +6 | 16 |
| T9 | Larry Dzendzel | DragonballZ | 4 | 43 | +7 | 16 |
| T9 | Tom Baldwin | Stableford Stars | 8 | 46 | +10 | 16 |
| T14 | Adam Peters | Four Play | 3 | 42 | +6 | 15 |
| T14 | Al Kabana | Gopher Killers | 15 | 54 | +18 | 15 |
| T14 | Jim Colinear | Gopher Killers | 10 | 49 | +13 | 15 |
| T14 | Randy Hobaugh | Par-Tee Animals | 3 | 42 | +6 | 15 |
| T14 | Todd Morgan | Gopher Killers | 4 | 43 | +7 | 15 |
| T19 | Chuck Tyke | Stableford Stars | 9 | 49 | +13 | 14 |
| T19 | Jerry Morgan | Green Assassins! | 3 | 43 | +7 | 14 |
| T21 | Bob Ciorra | Green Assassins! | 11 | 52 | +16 | 13 |
| T21 | Jeff Hensler | Stableford Stars | 13 | 54 | +18 | 13 |
| T21 | John Harr | Gopher Killers | 7 | 48 | +12 | 13 |
| T21 | Kevin Powanda | Green Assassins! | 9 | 50 | +14 | 13 |
| T21 | Matt Simkovic | DragonballZ | 7 | 50 | +14 | 13 |
| 26 | Al Powanda | Green Assassins! | 7 | 49 | +13 | 12 |
| 27 | Tim Townsend | Stableford Stars | 1 | 45 | +9 | 11 |
| 28 | Vic Hensler | Stableford Stars | 10 | 55 | +19 | 9 |
| 29 | John Hensler | Four Play | 10 | 56 | +20 | 8 |
🏅 Week 18 Team Scores
Top 4 scores per team count toward weekly totals.
The Gopher Killers are doing it again. For the second time this season they posted a 69-point team night — matching their Week 15 season best — and once again the depth of their roster is almost unfair. Babjak (20) and Ankeny (19) gave them a lethal 1-2 at the top, with Al Kabana (15) and Jim Colinear (15) filling out the counted four. The footnote that tells the real story: Todd Morgan posted 15 points and did not count, and John Harr posted 13 and did not count either. Six Gopher Killers, six double-digit rounds, four of them enough to win the night as a team. This is a roster operating at full throttle heading into the final two weeks of the period.
DragonballZ continue to be the team nobody is talking about enough — 61 points, their fourth strong week in a row, with Bryan Conn (16), Dwight Helfrich (16), and Larry Dzendzel (16) all tying as the team’s top contributors alongside Matt Simkovic (13). Three players at exactly 16 on the same night is an unusual kind of consistency, and it shows a roster that knows exactly what it is doing on the Back Nine.
The Green Assassins! and Stableford Stars finished in a dead lock at 60 points each — a remarkable coincidence given that they got there completely differently. David Del Signore’s 17 led the Assassins with Siegel (16), Morgan (14), and Ciorra (13) filling the counted four, while John Gogets’ 17 paced the Stars with Tom Baldwin (16), Chuck Tyke (14), and Jeff Hensler (13) all contributing. Two teams, same total, very different paths.
Four Play (56 pts) had Jake Kovac’s 17 lead the way, while the Par-Tee Animals — with only three scorers — posted 53 points entirely on the backs of Mallick (19), Maffit (19), and Hobaugh (15). The top two alone accounted for 38 of those 53 points. The Animals need more bodies on the tee sheet for these final two weeks.
| Team | Top 4 Scores | All Scorers | Wk 18 Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gopher Killers 🔥 | Rich Babjak (20), Matt Ankeny (19), Al Kabana (15), Jim Colinear (15) | + Todd Morgan (15), John Harr (13) | 69 |
| DragonballZ | Bryan Conn (16), Dwight Helfrich (16), Larry Dzendzel (16), Matt Simkovic (13) | — | 61 |
| Green Assassins! | D. Del Signore (17), Jeff Siegel (16), Jerry Morgan (14), Bob Ciorra (13) | + Kevin Powanda (13), Al Powanda (12) | 60 |
| Stableford Stars | John Gogets (17), Tom Baldwin (16), Chuck Tyke (14), Jeff Hensler (13) | + Tim Townsend (11), Vic Hensler (9) | 60 |
| Four Play | Jake Kovac (17), Bill Hensler (16), Adam Peters (15), John Hensler (8) | — | 56 |
| Par-Tee Animals | John Mallick (19), Ray Maffit (19), Randy Hobaugh (15) | — | 53* |
* Par-Tee Animals had 3 scorers — all three counted.
📋 Handicap Updates — Effective Week 19
Ten players received updated WHS course handicaps effective Wednesday, August 26th. The headline belongs to Clay Karadus — down three strokes from 14 to 11, the biggest single adjustment in the field and recognition of the best stretch of golf he has played in his WFL career. Jake Kovac also earns a two-stroke reduction to 6, a reflection of his consistently strong Period 3 play. Six players saw reductions in total — a sign that Late Season scoring has been sharp across the board — while four players picked up an extra stroke, including Timmy “10” Townsend ticking from 1 to 2.
| Player | Team | Old HCP | New HCP | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Karadus | Four Play | 14 | 11 | ▼ −3 |
| Jake Kovac | Four Play | 8 | 6 | ▼ −2 |
| Jeff Hensler | Stableford Stars | 13 | 12 | ▼ −1 |
| John Mallick | Par-Tee Animals | 9 | 8 | ▼ −1 |
| Matt Simkovic | DragonballZ | 7 | 6 | ▼ −1 |
| Ray Maffit | Par-Tee Animals | 9 | 8 | ▼ −1 |
| Al Powanda | Green Assassins! | 7 | 8 | ▲ +1 |
| Buzzy Peters | Four Play | 4 | 5 | ▲ +1 |
| Kevin Powanda | Green Assassins! | 9 | 10 | ▲ +1 |
| Tim Townsend | Stableford Stars | 1 | 2 | ▲ +1 |
⛳ WFL Members Tee It Up for the Norwin Band
Before the final two Wednesdays of the 2026 season arrive, we want to take a moment to recognize something that happened the Sunday before Week 19 — and it says everything about the character of this league.
On Sunday, August 23rd, WFL members laced up their spikes and turned out to support the Norwin Band. Under a brilliant blue sky with perfect late-summer conditions — the kind of day that makes you wonder why you ever leave the course — our guys represented the Wednesday Fun League with the same competitive spirit and camaraderie they bring to Manor Valley every week.
The photos say it all. Matching shirts, golf clubs in hand, and the unmistakable energy of a group of guys who genuinely enjoy each other’s company on the course. The Norwin Knight statue standing guard at the first tee provided a fitting backdrop for what looks like it was a genuinely great day of golf for a great cause.
To everyone who played in the Norwin Band outing — well done for showing up, well done for supporting the community, and we hope the scorecard was kind to you. The WFL is proud to have members who give back beyond Wednesday nights. 👏
🃏 Wildcard Watch — The 4th Championship Berth
With two weeks remaining in Period 3, the WFL Championship picture is coming into sharp focus. The Green Assassins! claimed the Period 1 berth. The Stableford Stars secured Period 2. The Period 3 title is still being decided. And then there is the Wildcard — the fourth and final Championship berth, awarded to the highest-scoring eligible team across the full regular season.
Right now, it belongs to the Gopher Killers.
With 916 season points, the Killers lead the Wildcard standings as the top eligible team — and after a 69-point team night in Weeks 18, that lead only grew on Wednesday. If they win Period 3 outright, the Wildcard passes to the next team in line. If they do not, they hold the Wildcard themselves and still make the Championship. Either way, right now the Gopher Killers are going to the WFL Championship.
Four Play sit second in the Wildcard race at 835 points — 81 back of the Killers with two weeks to play. Mathematically alive, but they would need a historically dominant finish and a Killers collapse simultaneously. DragonballZ are third at 807 and Par-Tee Animals fourth at 796. Both teams need a miracle and a meltdown, in that order.
| # | Team | Season Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🃏 Gopher Killers | 916 | Leading — Wildcard holder |
| 2 | Four Play | 835 | 81 pts back |
| 3 | DragonballZ | 807 | 109 pts back |
| 4 | Par-Tee Animals | 796 | 120 pts back |
The standings update in real time as scores are entered each week. Keep an eye on the live tracker heading into Weeks 19 and 20: 👉 WFL Live Standings →
🔜 Two Weeks to Go — The Period 3 Finish Line
Weeks 19 and 20 are all that stand between the 2026 WFL field and the end of Period 3. The Gopher Killers have been the team of the Late Season so far, and with Rich Babjak and Matt Ankeny both in peak form, they have the firepower to close this period strong. The Green Assassins! and Stableford Stars are not going anywhere either — two Championship berths already secured between them, but pride and standings points are still on the line.
For every player chasing individual honors, these final two Wednesdays are your last chance to move the needle. New handicaps are in effect. The Front Nine awaits on Week 19. Leave everything on the course.
See everyone on the first tee. ⛳
Scoring data sourced from official WFL weekly scorecards. Period 3 covers Weeks 15–20. Team standings use top 4 scores per team per week. Handicap updates effective Week 19, August 26, 2026. Photos from the Norwin Band Golf Outing, August 23, 2026.