That time of the year has come around again in Ecuador, where the NFL is mid swing and the FFAE (Federación de Futbol Americano Ecuador) is coming to a closing. As anticipated, there will be a rematch between the reigning champions, Lobos de Quito, and the Colorado’s de Santo Domingo.
This time in Santo Domingo instead of Quito on the 25th of November at 1 PM ET. The game is expected to be broadcast on the official FFAE fan page in Facebook on Facebook Live.
Lobos de Quito finished 7-0 on the season with their initial win in 2017 at home versus the Colorado’s 27-6. Colorado’s finished 6-1. Both teams played in the semifinal’s bypassing the quarter finals and with home field advantage. The Colorado’s de Santo Domingo (2nd place in the standings) played the Condors de Cuenca (3rd Place) and won 48-8. The Lobos de Quito played against the Caimenes de Guayaquil (4th Place) and won 34-0.
A Heated History and Historical Rival
The Lobos de Quito and Colorado’s de Santo Domingo are no strangers to big stages and big results. In the history of the sport, the two teams have played 6 times with the Lobos holding a 4-2 edge.
The first was a preseason scrimmage where the Lobos won in Quito a resounding 56 to 0 in 2015. Then, they played each other in the annual round robin tournament final later that year ending with a close victory by the Colorado’s 12-8. Afterwards, in a neutral cite, and the start of the 2016 season, the Lobos went down to Cuenca and won 24-9 only to play later in the year in Santo Domingo and lose 36-28. For the fifth encounter, the Colorado’s decided to travel to Quito for the first National Championship and play the Lobos de Quito on their home field. They lost 28-14. Finally, in the beginning of this year the Colorado’s lost 27-6 in the season opener.
The final will be the 7th time these two teams have played each other in just over two years. The most any two teams have played in the history of the sport in Ecuador. Players that will be key factors on the Colorado’s de Santo Domingo include RB/S and head coach Enric Castillo and QB Zack Tello (Berseker de Quito mid 2016 transfer). On the Lobos de Quito look out for TE Nelson Ola to make an impact along with DT Alberto Trujillo.
Controversy in the Middle of The World
Although the game was scheduled to follow NCAA rules which included a neutral site, no official site was thought out before the beginning of the season. This gave the head of the FFAE, also a player for the Santo Domingo and ex head coach, a chance to convince fellow presidents in the FFAE to vote for the final game to be played at his hometown stadium. Obviously, the Lobos de Quito were taken back by the votes but gladly excepted the challenge once a final decision had been made.