The Mexicas bid a dignified farewell to the Estadio Azul and defeated the Raptors from the State of Mexico 17-0 to be crowned champions in the Tazón México III of the Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional (LFA).
Rafael Duk won the "teacher vs student" duel against coach Guillermo González and cemented his place in Mexican football history, winning a professional title and adding it to his trophy case. Quarterback Ricardo Quintana and receiver Guillermo Villalobos were the architects of the victory, with both touchdowns of the afternoon, along with a defense that appeared in crucial moments to maintain the lead.
EVERYTHING WAS DECIDED IN THE FIRST HALF
Both offenses took time to get going. The capital team's offense was quickly stopped by a fumble recovered by Gonzalo de la Rosa III.
However, the Green Fury failed to capitalize on this turnover and had to punt the ball.
Rafael Duk's team started moving the chains, but were halted in the red zone, so Carlos Eduardo Soria kicked the ball between the uprights to give the scarlet squad a 3-0 lead.
Guillermo Gutiérrez's team tried to get closer and consumed a good portion of the first and second quarters, but the CDMX defense managed to contain them on third down and kept the Mexican team at bay, which ended their series with another punt.
Little by little, the Mexicas offense began to establish itself to dominate the scoreboard. Ricardo Quintana connected on a 35-yard pass to Guillermo Villalobos to the promised land; the extra point was good and Coach Duk's team took a 10-0 lead.
Despite their efforts, the Raptors' offense continued to fail on third down and sealed another possession with a punt.
The Quintana-Villalobos duo repeated the feat and added six more points, with a 10-yard pass ending in the end zone. With the extra point, Mexicas went into halftime with a 17-point lead without response.
Forced to attack, 'Willie' Gutiérrez's team tried to move forward, but the front line of CDMX prevented Bruno Márquez from connecting with any of his receivers. The minutes passed and the situation became more complicated for Lomas Verdes.
The Mexicas moved the ball to midfield, but the pressure from the Jurassic team prevented the lead from widening. And although it seemed that Raptors would get closer with a touchdown, everything became complicated again when Rodrigo Álvarez intercepted Márquez's pass. The third quarter ended with another frustrated opportunity for the green team.
The mistakes continued to take their toll on Coach Gutiérrez and company. Although Luis Fernando González intercepted a fumble and managed to take it to the end zone, a pass interference nullified the play and Raptors' scoring drought continued, but time ran out and they couldn't break the zero at Estadio Azul.