# 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 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.

## 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.
On January 16, LFA commissioner Guillermo Ruiz Burguete resigned; 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.
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.
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
Draft 2018 :
| Rd | Sel. | LFA Team | Player | Pos. | University | Conf. |
| 1 | 1 | Condors | Luis Humberto Lopez Tinoco | RB | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 1 | 2 | Mexicas | Mauricio Jacob Vargas Hernandez | OL | Potros Salvajes UAEM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 1 | 3 | Condors vía Raptors* | Andrés Salgado Gomez | WR | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 1 | 4 | Mayas | Gildardo Torres Charco | OT | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 1 | 5 | Fundidores | Ivan Sergio Barragán Leal | OL | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 1 | 6 | Dinos | Jose Michell Lopez Valdez | OL | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 2 | 7 | Condors | Abraham Herrera | OL | Pumas CU UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 2 | 8 | Mexicas | Leonardo Cabrera Mujica | DL | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 2 | 9 | Raptors | Emigdio Palacios Alcala | DL | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 2 | 10 | Mayas | Sebastian Baig Necoechea | DB | Linces UVM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 2 | 11 | Fundidores | Raymundo Vega Ruíz | OL | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 2 | 12 | Dinos | Joaquin Davila Martinez | OL | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 3 | 13 | Condors | Miguel Angel Urzúa Solís | LB | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 3 | 14 | Mexicas | José Luis Santana | LB | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 3 | 15 | Raptors | Deion Sixto Correa Viazcán | DB | Linces UVM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 3 | 16 | Mayas | Mario Alberto Salas | WR | Borregos Toluca ITESM | Liga Premier CONADEIP |
| 3 | 17 | Fundidores | Christian Alejandro Hernández Delgado | LB | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 3 | 18 | Dinos | Adrián Alejandro Martínez Armendáriz | WR | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 4 | 19 | Condors | Aarón Mendoza Gomez | WR | Borregos México ITESM | Liga Premier CONADEIP |
| 4 | 20 | Mexicas | Carlos Santos Rodriguez | LB | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 4 | 21 | Condors vía Raptors* | Ramses Israel Herrera Vega | DB | Centinelas CGP | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 4 | 22 | Mayas | Christian Rene Gomez Sanchez | WR | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 4 | 23 | Fundidores | Edgardo Garza Lerma | OL | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 4 | 24 | Dinos | Cesar Daniel Guzman | LB | Lobos UAdeC | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 5 | 25 | Condors | Erick Antonio Alarcon Merino | OL | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 5 | 26 | Mexicas | Ditter Emmanuel Smith Espinoza | WR | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 5 | 27 | Raptors | Ramon Arturo Lopez Zepeda | LB | Potros Salvajes UAEM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 5 | 28 | Mayas | Isaac Abraham Medina Cabrajal | DL | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 5 | 29 | Fundidores | Jesus Santana Gonzales | WR | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 5 | 30 | Dinos | Mario Alberto Rubio Gonzales | WR | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 6 | 31 | Condors | Alejandro Mujica Soriano | WR | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 6 | 32 | Mexicas | Abraham Assennatto Bravo | OL | Burros Blancos IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 6 | 33 | Raptors | Carlos Garcia Contreras | DL | Potros Salvajes UAEM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 6 | 34 | Mayas | Omar Mendoza Gomez | WR | Águilas Blancas IPN | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 6 | 35 | Fundidores | Aaron Isaac Mendoza Ruiz | WR | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 6 | 36 | Dinos | Genaro Jose Alfonsín Romero | S | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 7 | 37 | Condors | Oscar Jesus Capuchino | OL | Frailes UT | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 7 | 38 | Mexicas | Fernando Alvarez Duran | WR | Linces UVM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 7 | 39 | Condors vía Raptors* | Jorge Luis Ortiz Carriño | WR | Pumas Acatlan UNAM | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 7 | 40 | Mayas | Declined pick | | | |
| 7 | 41 | Fundidores | Francisco Javier Garcia Ramirez | CB | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 7 | 42 | Dinos | Francisco De Jesus Mata Charles | QB | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 8 | 43 | Fundidores | Max Ismael Villareal Maldonado | QB | Autenticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 8 | 44 | Dinos | Edgar Daniel Razo Cervantes | CB | Auténticos Tigres UANL | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 8 | 45 | Fundidores | Daniel Orios | OL | Lobos UAdeC | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 8 | 46 | Dinos | Gabriel Tadeo De Hoyos Encinia | WR | Lobos UAdeC | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
| 8 | 47 | Fundidores | Jesus Gerardo Rendon Torres | WR | Lobos UAdeC | Liga Mayor ONEFA |
* 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
North Division :
| Team | GP | W | L | PF | PA | Diff |
| Dinos | 7 | 4 | 3 | 123 | 167 | -44 |
| Raptors | 7 | 3 | 4 | 194 | 174 | 20 |
| Fundidores | 7 | 2 | 5 | 172 | 189 | -17 |
Central Division :
| Team | GP | W | L | PF | PA | Diff |
| Mayas | 7 | 5 | 2 | 167 | 166 | 1 |
| Mexicas | 7 | 4 | 3 | 149 | 131 | 18 |
| Condors | 7 | 3 | 4 | 212 | 220 | -8 |

### 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 | 29-27 | Raptors | José Ortega Martínez | March 10 | 17:00 |
| Condors | 23-22 | Mexicas | 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

| Category | Player | Position | Team | Statistic |
| Passing |||||
| Yards | Bruno Márquez | QB | Raptors Naucalpan | 1,882 |
| Touchdowns | Bruno Márquez | QB | Raptors Naucalpan | 17 |
| Completions | Bruno Márquez | QB | Raptors Naucalpan | 162 |
| Attempts | Bruno Márquez | QB | Raptors Naucalpan | 261 |
| Completion percentage | Bruno Márquez | QB | Raptors Naucalpan | 62.07% |
| Rushing |||||
| Yards | Omar Cojolum | RB | Mayas CDMX | 404 |
| Touchdowns | Omar Cojolum | RB | Mayas CDMX | 9 |
| Attempts | Omar Cojolum | RB | Mayas CDMX | 68 |
| Yards per attempt | Gourdinose Terril | RB | Mexicas CDMX | 8.3 |
| Receiving |||||
| Yards | Andrés Salgado | WR | Condors CDMX | 586 |
| Touchdowns | Andrés Salgado | WR | Condors CDMX | 11 |
| Receptions | Jose Manuel Barrios Ortega | WR | Raptors Naucalpan | 62 |
| Yards per reception | Aaron Isaac Mendoza Ruiz | WR | Fundidores Monterrey | 23.91 |
| Defensive |||||
| Sacks | Ricardo Yañez Balderas | DL | Dinos Saltillo | 6 |
| Tackles | Christian Alejandro Hernández Delgado | LB | Fundidores Monterrey | 21 |
| Assisted tackles | Christian Alejandro Hernández Delgado | LB | Fundidores Monterrey | 19 |
| Interceptions | Fernando Ramírez Paredes | DB | Raptors Naucalpan | 6 |
| Returning |||||
| Punt returns | Mauricio Antonio Jordán Valdes | WR | Mexicas CDMX | 15 |
| Punt return yards | Joan Medinosa Tabitas | RB | Dinos Saltillo | 158 |
| Kickoff returns | Luis Humberto López Tinco | RB | Condors CDMX | 17 |
| Kickoff return yards | Luis Humberto López Tinco | RB | Condors CDMX | 385 |
| Source: LFA |||||

## Playoffs
### Playoff bracket

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

## Tazón México III

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.
The final between Raptors and Mexicas would have been the last professional activity that the Estadio Azul before its demolition, 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.
| Quarter | Time | Series | Series | Series | Team | Annotations | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yds | TOP | Team | Annotations | RAP | MEX |
| 1 | 2:10 | 17 | 65 | 7:59 | MEX | Field goal, 28 yards from K Carlos Soria | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | 3:56 | 10 | 80 | 4:49 | MEX | Touchdown, 40-yard pass from QB Ricardo Quintana to WR Guillermo Villalobos; the extra point is good (K Carlos Soria)) | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | 0:16 | 9 | 89 | 1:48 | MEX | Touchdown, 10-yard pass from QB Ricardo Quintana to WR Guillermo Villalobos; the extra point is good (K Carlos Soria) | 0 | 17 |