Mexico’s six-team Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional (LFA) is approaching the midseason mark and the surprises keep coming. In the third week of action, the Condors and Fundidores captured their first victories of the campaign beating the previously undefeated Eagles and Raptors.
Both results are surprising, but despite the wins, those teams remain at the bottom of their respective groups.
Condors 24 – Eagles 20
After their terrible game against the Mayas last week, the 1-2 Condors had to win this game for two reasons: they had to keep their postseason aspirations alive and maintain their fans interested for the rest of the campaign. With a terrific performance from their defense, the team was able to defeat the Eagles, one of the most toughest squads in the league, 24-20.
Condors QB Salvador Castañeda Photo: Eduardo Mendoza
Condors captain and linebacker Ángel Rosado, had a tremendous game with two interceptions off of Eagles quarterback Raúl Mateos; one of them led to an offensive touchdown and the other an unsuccessful field goal. Also, the Condors defense caused problems all day for the Eagles, consistently sacking Mateos forcing fumbles helping the team to the much-needed win.
Condors head coach, Enrique Zapata, made some changes this third week. First, Salvador Castañeda replaced Arturo Sánchez place as the starting quarterback, giving the team more offensive versatility. He scored one touchdown by simply walking into the end zone. Also, Donnell Alexander from Colorado State, made his debut as a linebacker for his squad.
Fundidores 22 – Raptors 21
In the case of the Fundidores, the game took place at Monterrey and it was the Raptors’ the first trip outside the center of Mexico. The Fundidores from the north of Mexico had been unable to win against the Dinos and Eagles in the first two weeks, so beating the undefeated Raptors was going to be a tough test for the players.
Fundidores WR Luis de la Torre
One of the keys to this game was the duel between the quarterbacks from each team: Bruno Márquez (Raptors) and Roberto Vega (Fundidores) . Both met at college as rivals; Márquez playing for Pumas CU and Vega for Auténticos Tigres UANL, two of the top teams in the ONEFA.
Check out highlights of the week.
The Fundidores captured their first win by defeating the Raptors 22-21. In the press conference, Fundidores Head Coach, Polo Treviño, said that the result was great for the players’ mood, but next time he would prefer if they did not keep the game in suspense so long so they can play a little more relaxed and not let mistakes bother them as much.
Next week, the Fundidores will visit the Condors at Perros Negros Stadium in one of the most interesting games on Sunday. Both sides have their situations in mind and know that a defeat would practically end their hopes for the LFA’s title. In the other matchups the Dinos will host the Eagles in Saltillo, while the Mayas and Raptors will face each other at Perros Negros.