2018 LFA season

The 2018 LFA season was the third season of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional. 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[1] 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.[2]

2018 LFA season
Regular season
Duration16 February 2018 – 8 April 2018
Playoffs
Start date14 April 2018
North ChampionsRaptors
Center ChampionsMexicas
Tazón México III
Date22 April 2018
SiteEstadio Azul, Mexico City
ChampionsMexicas

Participating teams
Team Head coach City Stadium Capacity
Central Division
Condors Félix Buendía Mexico City Jesús Martínez "Palillo" 6,000
Mayas Ernesto Alfaro Mexico City Jesús Martínez "Palillo" 6,000
Mexicas Rafael Duk Mexico City Jesús Martínez "Palillo" 6,000
North Division
Dinos Carlos Cabral Saltillo, Coahuila Estadio Olímpico de Saltillo 5,900
Fundidores Israel González Monterrey, Nuevo León Estadio Nuevo León Unido 1,500
Raptors Guillermo Gutiérrez Naucalpan, Estado de México José 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.[3]

On January 16, LFA commissioner Guillermo Ruiz Burguete resigned;[4] 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.[5][6]

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.[7]

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[8]

Draft 2018
Rd Sel. LFA Team Player Pos. University Conf.
1 1CondorsLuis Humberto Lopez TinocoRBÁguilas Blancas IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
2MexicasMauricio Jacob Vargas HernandezOLPotros Salvajes UAEMLiga Mayor ONEFA
3Condors vía Raptors*Andrés Salgado GomezWRPumas CU UNAMLiga Mayor ONEFA
4MayasGildardo Torres CharcoOTPumas CU UNAMLiga Mayor ONEFA
5FundidoresIvan Sergio Barragán LealOLAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
6DinosJose Michell Lopez ValdezOLAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
2 7CondorsAbraham HerreraOLPumas CU UNAMLiga Mayor ONEFA
8MexicasLeonardo Cabrera MujicaDLÁguilas Blancas IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
9RaptorsEmigdio Palacios AlcalaDLBurros Blancos IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
10MayasSebastian Baig NecoecheaDBLinces UVMLiga Mayor ONEFA
11FundidoresRaymundo Vega RuízOLAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
12DinosJoaquin Davila MartinezOLAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
3 13CondorsMiguel Angel Urzúa SolísLBÁguilas Blancas IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
14MexicasJosé Luis SantanaLBÁguilas Blancas IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
15RaptorsDeion Sixto Correa ViazcánDBLinces UVMLiga Mayor ONEFA
16MayasMario Alberto SalasWRBorregos Toluca ITESMLiga Premier CONADEIP
17FundidoresChristian Alejandro Hernández DelgadoLBAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
18DinosAdrián Alejandro Martínez ArmendárizWRAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
4 19CondorsAarón Mendoza GomezWRBorregos México ITESMLiga Premier CONADEIP
20MexicasCarlos Santos RodriguezLBÁguilas Blancas IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
21Condors vía Raptors*Ramses Israel Herrera VegaDBCentinelas CGPLiga Mayor ONEFA
22MayasChristian Rene Gomez SanchezWRBurros Blancos IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
23FundidoresEdgardo Garza LermaOLAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
24DinosCesar Daniel GuzmanLBLobos UAdeCLiga Mayor ONEFA
5 25CondorsErick Antonio Alarcon MerinoOLÁguilas Blancas IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
26MexicasDitter Emmanuel Smith EspinozaWRBurros Blancos IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
27RaptorsRamon Arturo Lopez ZepedaLBPotros Salvajes UAEMLiga Mayor ONEFA
28MayasIsaac Abraham Medina CabrajalDLBurros Blancos IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
29FundidoresJesus Santana GonzalesWRAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
30DinosMario Alberto Rubio GonzalesWRAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
6 31CondorsAlejandro Mujica SorianoWRÁguilas Blancas IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
32MexicasAbraham Assennatto BravoOLBurros Blancos IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
33RaptorsCarlos Garcia ContrerasDLPotros Salvajes UAEMLiga Mayor ONEFA
34MayasOmar Mendoza GomezWRÁguilas Blancas IPNLiga Mayor ONEFA
35FundidoresAaron Isaac Mendoza RuizWRAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
36DinosGenaro Jose Alfonsín RomeroSAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
7 37CondorsOscar Jesus CapuchinoOLFrailes UTLiga Mayor ONEFA
38MexicasFernando Alvarez DuranWRLinces UVMLiga Mayor ONEFA
39Condors vía Raptors*Jorge Luis Ortiz CarriñoWRPumas Acatlan UNAMLiga Mayor ONEFA
40MayasDeclined pick
41FundidoresFrancisco Javier Garcia RamirezCBAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
42DinosFrancisco De Jesus Mata CharlesQBAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
8 43FundidoresMax Ismael Villareal MaldonadoQBAutenticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
44DinosEdgar Daniel Razo CervantesCBAuténticos Tigres UANLLiga Mayor ONEFA
45FundidoresDaniel OriosOLLobos UAdeCLiga Mayor ONEFA
46DinosGabriel Tadeo De Hoyos EnciniaWRLobos UAdeCLiga Mayor ONEFA
47FundidoresJesus Gerardo Rendon TorresWRLobos UAdeCLiga Mayor ONEFA
  Complementary selections

* 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

Results
Week 1
Away Score Home Venue Date Kickoff (UTC-6)
Dinos 0-17 Fundidores Estadio Nuevo León Unido February 16 19:00
Mexicas 36-19 Condors Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" February 18 11:00
Raptors 32-0 Mayas Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" February 18 15:00
Week 2
Away Score Home Venue Date Kickoff (UTC-6)
Mayas 28-25 Dinos Olímpico Francisco I. Madero February 24 15:00
Fundidores 15-44 Mexicas Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" February 25 11:00
Raptors 46-26 Condors Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" February 25 15:00
Week 3
Away Score Home Venue Date Kickoff (UTC-6)
Raptors 15-45 Fundidores Estadio Nuevo León Unido March 2 20:00
Mexicas 0-1 * Dinos Olímpico Francisco I. Madero March 3 16:00
Condors 24-33 Mayas Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" March 4 12:00
Week 4
Away Score Home Venue Date Kickoff (UTC-6)
Mayas 25-14 Fundidores Estadio Nuevo León Unido March 9 20:00
Dinos 10-14 Raptors José Ortega Martínez March 10 17:00
Condors 23-22 Eagles Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" March 11 12:00
Week 5
Away Score Home Venue Date Kickoff (UTC-6)
Fundidores 20-30 Dinos Olímpico Francisco I. Madero March 17 16:00
Mexicas 30-20 Raptors José Ortega Martínez March 17 17:00
Mayas 28-24 Condors José Ortega Martínez March 18 12:00
Week 6
Away Score Home Venue Date Kickoff (UTC-5)
Condors 41-40 Fundidores Estadio Nuevo León Unido March 23 20:00
Raptors 20-23 Dinos Olímpico Francisco I. Madero March 24 16:00
Mayas 34-35 Mexicas Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" March 25 12:00
Week 7
Away Score Home Venue Date Kickoff (UTC-6)
Fundidores 21-34 Raptors José Ortega Martínez April 7 13:00
Dinos 15-55 Condors Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" April 8 11:00
Mexicas 12-19 Mayas Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" April 8 15:00

* 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
CategoryPlayerPositionTeamStatistic
Passing
YardsBruno MárquezQBRaptors Naucalpan1,882
TouchdownsBruno MárquezQBRaptors Naucalpan17
CompletionsBruno MárquezQBRaptors Naucalpan162
AttemptsBruno MárquezQBRaptors Naucalpan261
Completion percentageBruno MárquezQBRaptors Naucalpan62.07%
Rushing
YardsOmar Alejandro Cojolum DelgadoRBMayas CDMX404
TouchdownsOmar Alejandro Cojolum DelgadoRBMayas CDMX9
AttemptsOmar Alejandro Cojolum DelgadoRBMayas CDMX68
Yards per attemptGourdinose TerrilRBMexicas CDMX8.3
Receiving
YardsAndrés SalgadoWRCondors CDMX586
TouchdownsAndrés SalgadoWRCondors CDMX11
ReceptionsJose Manuel Barrios OrtegaWRRaptors Naucalpan62
Yards per receptionAaron Isaac Mendoza RuizWRFundidores Monterrey23.91
Defensive
SacksRicardo Yañez BalderasDLDinos Saltillo6
TacklesChristian Alejandro Hernández DelgadoLBFundidores Monterrey21
Assisted tacklesChristian Alejandro Hernández DelgadoLBFundidores Monterrey19
InterceptionsFernando Ramírez ParedesDBRaptors Naucalpan6
Returning
Punt returnsMauricio Antonio Jordán ValdesWRMexicas CDMX15
Punt return yardsJoan Medinosa TabitasRBDinos Saltillo158
Kickoff returnsLuis Humberto López TincoRBCondors CDMX17
Kickoff return yardsLuis Humberto López TincoRBCondors CDMX385
Source: LFA[9]

Playoffs

Playoff bracket
Division Finals Tazón Mexico III
      
C2 Mexicas 27
C1 Mayas 17
C1 Mexicas 17
N1 Raptors 0
N2 Raptors 21
N1 Dinos 6

Tazón México III
Tazón México III
Raptors vs Mexicas
(3-4) (4-3)
0 17
Teams 1C 2C 3C 4C
Raptors 0000
Mexicas 31400
Date: 22, April 2018, 16:00
Stadium: Estadio Azul
Climate: Cloudy, 19°
Spectators:15,000
Referee:Juan José Arce
TV:
← 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.[10]

The final between Raptors and Mexicas would have been the last professional activity that the Estadio Azul before its demolition,[11] 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.

QuarterTimeSeriesTeamAnnotationsScore
PlaysYdsTOPRAPMEX
12:1017657:59MEXField goal, 28 yards from K Carlos Soria03
23:5610804:49MEXTouchdown, 40-yard pass from QB Ricardo Quintana to WR Guillermo Villalobos; the extra point is good (K Carlos Soria))010
20:169891:48MEXTouchdown, 10-yard pass from QB Ricardo Quintana to WR Guillermo Villalobos; the extra point is good (K Carlos Soria)017

References
  1. "LFA Presenta la Temporada 2018 en Estadio Azul" (in Spanish).
  2. "Mexicas campeón del Tazón México III" (in Spanish).
  3. "Para su tercera temporada, LFA tendrá nueva cara" (in Spanish).
  4. "Renuncia comisionado LFA. Guillmero Ruiz Burgute" (in Spanish).
  5. "Juego de Dinos vs Mexicas sigue en el aire" (in Spanish).
  6. "LFA fija su postura respecto al seguro de gastos médicos de los jugadores" (in Spanish).
  7. "LFA sanciona a Mexicas pero evitan rompimiento" (in Spanish).
  8. "Draft 2018" (in Spanish).
  9. "ESTADÍSTICAS TEMPORADA 2018" (in Spanish).
  10. "Se cancela participación de Panteón Rococó en el Tazón México" (in Spanish).
  11. "Tazón México III: Último evento deportivo en el Estadio Azul" (in Spanish).
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