Condors stage late game comeback to capture Tazón México IV

AFI | American Football | 05/15/2019

Photo: Israel Vera

The Mexico City Condors have captured Tazón México IV (Mexico Bowl IV) coming from behind to defeat the Naucalpan Raptors 20-16 in Mexico City.

This is the first time in the four year history of Mexico’s Liga De Football Americano Profesional that the Condors have stood atop the podium and they had to come from behind twice during the game to do it.

This was the third trip to the championship game for the Raptors and again they came away empty handed.

Condors running back Luis Humberto López scored the first touchdown of the game on a spectacular 62 yard run after it looked like he had been tackled, giving his team a 6-0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Raptors tied the score 6-6 with a four yard pass from Bruno Márquez to Diego Arce. Then, following an interception which gave the Raptors the ball at the Condors 17 yard line, the team from Naucalpan jumped out into a 9-6 lead when Diego Carsolio, who had missed the extra point, atoned for his mistake, kicking a field goal just before halftime.

Early in the third quarter, the Condors went back out in front again as quarterback Diego Perez Arvizu punched the ball in from the one yard line and Alan Paoli kicked the extra point to give the Condors a 13-9 lead heading into the final quarter.

Raptors wide receiver Diego Yáñez got in behind the secondary midway through the final quarter and hauled in a 33 yard touchdown pass from Bruno Márquez to give his team a 16-13 lead.

Condors quarterback Diego Perez Arvizu answered on the very next possession finding a streaking Andres Salgado and hitting him with a 44 yard pass which he carried into the end zone. Paoli added the extra point and the Condors held off the Raptors the rest of the way to win the title for the first time.