The 2018 LFA season was the third season of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). The season saw all previous teams return with no additional new ones. The Eagles changed their team name to the Mexicas. This would be the first season that saw the championship, the Tazón México held at a neutral site of the Estadio Azul in Mexico City. The league season began on February 16 and concluded on the April 8. The playoffs began on the April 14 and concluded on April 22 with the Mexicas beating the Raptors in Taźon México III.
Participating teams TeamHead coachCityStadiumCapacity Central Division Condors Félix BuendíaMexico CityJesús Martínez "Palillo" 6,000 Mayas Ernesto AlfaroMexico CityJesús Martínez "Palillo" 6,000 Mexicas Rafael DukMexico CityJesús Martínez "Palillo" 6,000 North Division Dinos Carlos CabralSaltillo, CoahuilaEstadio Olímpico de Saltillo 5,900 Fundidores Israel González Monterrey, Nuevo LeónEstadio Nuevo León Unido 1,500 Raptors Guillermo GutiérrezNaucalpan, Estado de MéxicoJosé Ortega Martínez 3,700
Preseason events
Relevant events On October 28, 2017, Mr. Juan Carlos Vázquez left the presidency of the LFA; the figure of President was eliminated and the figure of the Commissioner was created, which Guillermo Ruiz Burguete occupied.
On January 16, LFA commissioner Guillermo Ruiz Burguete resigned; the league did not announce his replacement. For operational purposes, the activities of the commissioner were absorbed by the president of the league's board of directors, Óscar Pérez.
On March 3, the players of the Mexicas team went on strike due to the lack of medical insurance and other supplies necessary for the professional practice of the sport, so their game for week 3 against Dinos was suspended.
On March 8, the Mexicas team was fined $657,820.00 MXN(US35,200) for damages caused to the League, its TV partners, its press partners, the Dinos team, and fans attending the stadium for not having presented to play. It was also determined that said party would not be rescheduled and therefore Mexicas would lose it by forfeit.
The salary cap was 1,100,000MXN(US59,000)
Coaching changes The 2018 season saw all but Mayas replace their head coach
Condors: Enrique Zapata was replaced as head coach by Felix Buendía after a 3–4 season
Mexicas: José Campuzano was replaced as head coach by Rafael Duk, who coached the Raptors the previous two seasons, after a 4–3 season.
Raptors: Rafael Duk was replaced as head coach by Guillermo Gutierrez after a 5–2 season.
Dinos: Guillermo Ruiz was replaced as head coach by Carlos Cabral after a 2–5 season.
Fundidores: Leopoldo Treviño was replaced as head coach by Israel Gonzalez after a 2–5 season.
Draft On January 13, the 2018 Draft was held in which 47 players were selected who finished their eligibility in Mexican university football
Draft 2018 Rd Sel. LFA Team Player Pos. University Conf. 1 1 Condors Luis Humberto Lopez Tinoco RB Águilas Blancas IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 2 Mexicas Mauricio Jacob Vargas Hernandez OL Potros Salvajes UAEM Liga Mayor ONEFA 3 Condors vía Raptors* Andrés Salgado Gomez WR Pumas CU UNAM Liga Mayor ONEFA 4 Mayas Gildardo Torres Charco OT Pumas CU UNAM Liga Mayor ONEFA 5 Fundidores Ivan Sergio Barragán Leal OL Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 6 Dinos Jose Michell Lopez Valdez OL Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 2 7 Condors Abraham Herrera OL Pumas CU UNAM Liga Mayor ONEFA 8 Mexicas Leonardo Cabrera Mujica DL Águilas Blancas IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 9 Raptors Emigdio Palacios Alcala DL Burros Blancos IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 10 Mayas Sebastian Baig Necoechea DB Linces UVM Liga Mayor ONEFA 11 Fundidores Raymundo Vega Ruíz OL Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 12 Dinos Joaquin Davila Martinez OL Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 3 13 Condors Miguel Angel Urzúa Solís LB Águilas Blancas IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 14 Mexicas José Luis Santana LB Águilas Blancas IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 15 Raptors Deion Sixto Correa Viazcán DB Linces UVM Liga Mayor ONEFA 16 Mayas Mario Alberto Salas WR Borregos Toluca ITESM Liga Premier CONADEIP 17 Fundidores Christian Alejandro Hernández Delgado LB Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 18 Dinos Adrián Alejandro Martínez Armendáriz WR Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 4 19 Condors Aarón Mendoza Gomez WR Borregos México ITESM Liga Premier CONADEIP 20 Mexicas Carlos Santos Rodriguez LB Águilas Blancas IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 21 Condors vía Raptors* Ramses Israel Herrera Vega DB Centinelas CGP Liga Mayor ONEFA 22 Mayas Christian Rene Gomez Sanchez WR Burros Blancos IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 23 Fundidores Edgardo Garza Lerma OL Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 24 Dinos Cesar Daniel Guzman LB Lobos UAdeC Liga Mayor ONEFA 5 25 Condors Erick Antonio Alarcon Merino OL Águilas Blancas IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 26 Mexicas Ditter Emmanuel Smith Espinoza WR Burros Blancos IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 27 Raptors Ramon Arturo Lopez Zepeda LB Potros Salvajes UAEM Liga Mayor ONEFA 28 Mayas Isaac Abraham Medina Cabrajal DL Burros Blancos IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 29 Fundidores Jesus Santana Gonzales WR Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 30 Dinos Mario Alberto Rubio Gonzales WR Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 6 31 Condors Alejandro Mujica Soriano WR Águilas Blancas IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 32 Mexicas Abraham Assennatto Bravo OL Burros Blancos IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 33 Raptors Carlos Garcia Contreras DL Potros Salvajes UAEM Liga Mayor ONEFA 34 Mayas Omar Mendoza Gomez WR Águilas Blancas IPN Liga Mayor ONEFA 35 Fundidores Aaron Isaac Mendoza Ruiz WR Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 36 Dinos Genaro Jose Alfonsín Romero S Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 737 Condors Oscar Jesus Capuchino OL Frailes UT Liga Mayor ONEFA 38 Mexicas Fernando Alvarez Duran WR Linces UVM Liga Mayor ONEFA 39 Condors vía Raptors* Jorge Luis Ortiz Carriño WR Pumas Acatlan UNAM Liga Mayor ONEFA 40 Mayas Declined pick 41 Fundidores Francisco Javier Garcia Ramirez CB Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 42 Dinos Francisco De Jesus Mata Charles QB Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 843 Fundidores Max Ismael Villareal Maldonado QB Autenticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 44 Dinos Edgar Daniel Razo Cervantes CB Auténticos Tigres UANL Liga Mayor ONEFA 45 Fundidores Daniel Orios OL Lobos UAdeC Liga Mayor ONEFA 46 Dinos Gabriel Tadeo De Hoyos Encinia WR Lobos UAdeC Liga Mayor ONEFA 47 Fundidores Jesus Gerardo Rendon Torres WR Lobos UAdeC Liga Mayor ONEFA
* In exchange for QB Bruno Márquez (2nd year), Raptors gave Condors selections in the first, fourth and seventh round of the 2018 Draft.
Season
Standings Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, Diff=Difference between pts. for and against
Teams highlighted qualified for the playoffs
North DivisionTeam Dinos 7 4 3 123 167 −44 Raptors 7 3 4 194 174 20 Fundidores 7 2 5 172 189 −17
Central DivisionTeam Mayas 7 5 2 167 166 1 Mexicas 7 4 3 149 131 18 Condors 7 3 4 212 220 −8
Results Week 1AwayScoreHomeVenueDateKickoff (UTC-6)Dinos0–17FundidoresEstadio Nuevo León UnidoFebruary 1619:00Mexicas36–19CondorsEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"February 1811:00Raptors32–0MayasEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"February 1815:00 Week 2AwayScoreHomeVenueDateKickoff (UTC-6)Mayas28–25DinosOlímpico Francisco I. MaderoFebruary 2415:00Fundidores15–44MexicasEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"February 2511:00Raptors46–26CondorsEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"February 2515:00 Week 3AwayScoreHomeVenueDateKickoff (UTC-6)Raptors15–45FundidoresEstadio Nuevo León UnidoMarch 220:00Mexicas0–1 *DinosOlímpico Francisco I. MaderoMarch 316:00Condors24–33MayasEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"March 412:00 Week 4AwayScoreHomeVenueDateKickoff (UTC-6)Mayas25–14FundidoresEstadio Nuevo León UnidoMarch 920:00Dinos29–27RaptorsJosé Ortega MartínezMarch 1017:00Condors23–22MexicasEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"March 1112:00 Week 5AwayScoreHomeVenueDateKickoff (UTC-6)Fundidores20–30DinosOlímpico Francisco I. MaderoMarch 1716:00Mexicas30–20RaptorsJosé Ortega MartínezMarch 1717:00Mayas28–24CondorsJosé Ortega MartínezMarch 1812:00 Week 6AwayScoreHomeVenueDateKickoff (UTC-5)Condors41–40FundidoresEstadio Nuevo León UnidoMarch 2320:00Raptors20–23DinosOlímpico Francisco I. MaderoMarch 2416:00Mayas34–35MexicasEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"March 2512:00 Week 7AwayScoreHomeVenueDateKickoff (UTC-6)Fundidores21–34RaptorsJosé Ortega MartínezApril 713:00Dinos15–55CondorsEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"April 811:00Mexicas12–19MayasEstadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo"April 815:00 * Based on the regulations, the Dinos won the match forfeit with a score of 1 to 0, since Mexicas did not show up for the match.
Statistical leaders Category Player Position Team Statistic Passing Yards Bruno Márquez QB Raptors Naucalpan 1,882 Touchdowns Bruno Márquez QB Raptors Naucalpan 17 Completions Bruno Márquez QB Raptors Naucalpan 162 Attempts Bruno Márquez QB Raptors Naucalpan 261 Completion percentage Bruno Márquez QB Raptors Naucalpan 62.07% Rushing Yards Omar Cojolum RB Mayas CDMX 404 Touchdowns Omar Cojolum RB Mayas CDMX 9 Attempts Omar Cojolum RB Mayas CDMX 68 Yards per attempt Gourdinose Terril RB Mexicas CDMX 8.3 Receiving Yards Andrés Salgado WR Condors CDMX 586 Touchdowns Andrés Salgado WR Condors CDMX 11 Receptions Jose Manuel Barrios Ortega WR Raptors Naucalpan 62 Yards per reception Aaron Isaac Mendoza Ruiz WR Fundidores Monterrey 23.91 Defensive Sacks Ricardo Yañez Balderas DL Dinos Saltillo 6 Tackles Christian Alejandro Hernández Delgado LB Fundidores Monterrey 21 Assisted tackles Christian Alejandro Hernández Delgado LB Fundidores Monterrey 19 Interceptions Fernando Ramírez Paredes DB Raptors Naucalpan 6 Returning Punt returns Mauricio Antonio Jordán Valdes WR Mexicas CDMX 15 Punt return yards Joan Medinosa Tabitas RB Dinos Saltillo 158 Kickoff returns Luis Humberto López Tinco RB Condors CDMX 17 Kickoff return yards Luis Humberto López Tinco RB Condors CDMX 385Source: LFA
Playoffs
Playoff bracket
Tazón México III Tazón México IIIRaptorsvsMexicas(3–4)(4–3)Head Coach:Head Coach:Guillermo GutierrezRafael Duk Teams 1C 2C 3C 4C Raptors 0 0 0 0 Mexicas 3 14 0 0Date: 22, April 2018Kickoff time: 4 p.m.Weather: Cloudy, 19°Stadium: Estadio AzulAttendance: 15,000MVP: Guillermo Villalobos, WRReferee: Juan José ArceTV: ← II • Tazón México • IV → The Tazón México III was held on April 22, 2018, at 4:00 p.m. at the Estadio Azul in Mexico City, with a record attendance for the LFA of 15,000 fans present. Mexicas defeated Raptors 17–0 in a defensive game. This would have been the first LFA championship with a halftime show, however, the group in charge of the show, Panteón Rococó, had to cancel last-minute performance due to Civil Protection recommendations due to the probability of a thunderstorm.
The final between Raptors and Mexicas would have been the last professional activity that the Estadio Azul before its demolition, however, the venue will house more games of the LFA, including the Tazón México IV, since its demolition was postponed to the 2020 year. The MVP of the game was Guillermo Villalobos. Quarter Time Series Team Annotations Score Plays Yds TOP RAP MEX 1 2:10 17 65 7:59 MEX Field goal, 28 yards from K Carlos Soria 0 3 2 3:56 10 80 4:49 MEX Touchdown, 40-yard pass from QB Ricardo Quintana to WR Guillermo Villalobos; the extra point is good (K Carlos Soria)) 0 10 2 0:16 9 89 1:48 MEX Touchdown, 10-yard pass from QB Ricardo Quintana to WR Guillermo Villalobos; the extra point is good (K Carlos Soria) 0 17
References