Leones Anáhuac Cancún
First season2007 (2007)
Head coachJorge Jiménez Aréchiga
5th season, 18–4 (.818)
StadiumEstadio Coliseo Maya
(capacity: 5,000)
Field surfaceArtificial turf
LocationCancún, Quintana Roo
LeagueONEFA
ConferenceConferencia Nacional
Past conferencesGrupo Blanco (2015–2018)
Conferencia Nacional (2012–2014)
Conferencia Sur (2009–2011)
Conferencia Nacional (2008)
Conference titles2 (Nacional: 1, Sur: 1)
RivalriesPotros Salvajes UAEM
Pumas Acatlán
Centinelas CGP
Lobos UAdeC
ColorsOrange and white
   

The Leones Anáhuac Cancún (English: Anáhuac Cancún Lions) represents the Universidad Anáhuac Cancún (UAC) in college football. The Leones compete in the Conferencia Nacional of ONEFA and have won two Conferencia Nacional Championships: in 2009 and 2019. The team plays in the Estadio Coliseo Maya and is coached by Jorge Jiménez Aréchiga.

History

Marco Martos era (2006–2018)

The Leones Anáhuac Cancún played two exhibition games in 2006 against the Burros Blancos IPN and the Halcones UV.[1] They were admitted into ONEFA the following year, led by former NFL Europe player Marco Martos at head coach.[1]

Leones players celebrating their Conferencia Sur championship win in 2009

In 2009, the Leones joined the newly created Conferencia Sur and finished the regular season with a 3–6 record. However, they defeated the Centinelas CGP 12–9 in the semifinals to reach the Conferencia Sur championship game. In the final, the Leones beat the Potros Salvajes UAEM 20–19 for their first title in program history.[2] The Leones achieved their first winning record in 2010, finishing 5–3 in the regular season. The team reached the conference championship game, but they were defeated by the Potros Salvajes UAEM 23–20. In 2011, the Leones were eliminated in the semifinals with a 14–10 loss to the Centinelas CGP.[3]

Following a restructuring of ONEFA, Anáhuac Cancún was moved to the Conferencia Nacional for the 2012 season. Additionally, the team hired legendary coach Jacinto Licea as the program director at the invitation of coach Martos.[4] The Leones finished the regular season with a 6–3 record. However, they suffered a 10–0 loss against the Potros Salvajes UAEM in the semifinals.[5]

The Leones failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in 2013 after compiling a 2–7 record. The team suffered a 34–0 defeat to the Halcones UV at home to close out the disappointing season.[6] That offseason, the Universidad Anáhuac Cancún faced financial problems which caused uncertainty about the Leones' future in ONEFA.[7] The rector of the school, Miguel Pérez, met with municipal president Paul Carrillo and municipal sports director José Luis González to reorganize the team and ensure the team's participation in the following season.[7]

In 2014, the Leones finished second in the Conferencia Nacional with an 8–1 regular season record, losing only to the Lobos UAdeC. They defeated the Correcaminos UAT Norte 24–7 in the semifinals.[8] The team had a chance to avenge their earlier loss to the Lobos UAdeC in the championship game, but lost again by a score of 29–22.[9] In 2015, ONEFA scrapped the conference format and instead divided teams into three subgroups, with Anáhuac Cancún being placed in Grupo Blanco.[10] That year, the Leones notably defeated the Águilas Blancas 10–7 in the regular season.[11] Anáhuac Cancún qualified for the expanded playoffs, but they were eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 48–14 defeat to Grupo Verde team Pumas CU.[12] In 2016, the Leones went 3–6 and missed out on the playoffs.[13]

Anáhuac Cancún returned to the playoffs in 2017 after a 4–3 record in the regular season.[14] They were eliminated in the semifinals after suffering a 48–15 defeat to the Potros Salvajes UAEM.[15] In 2018, the Leones finished the regular season undefeated with a 6–0 record,[16][17] However, they were eliminated in the Grupo Blanco semifinals again, this time after a 35–33 defeat to the Lobos UAdeC.[18] Coach Martos announced his resignation after 13 seasons at Anáhuac Cancún, citing his wish to spend more time with his four children.[19]

Jorge Jiménez Aréchiga era (2019–present)

The Leones promoted their offensive coordinator, Jorge Jiménez Aréchiga, to replace Martos as the team's head coach in May 2019.[20] They were placed in the Conferencia Nacional, which was recreated by ONEFA after merging Grupo Blanco and Grupo Rojo.[21]

In their first year under coach Jiménez Aréchiga, the Leones went 7–0 in the regular season and led ONEFA in scoring with 41.9 points per game.[22][23] The team defeated the Pumas Acatlán 20–13 in the semifinals to set up a matchup against the defending champions, the Lobos UAdeC, in the final.[24] Despite an early injury to star running back Axel Montini in the championship game, quarterback José Rovirosa scored three total touchdowns to lead the team to a 29–21 victory, completing their perfect season and capturing the second conference title in program history.[25][26] Coach Jiménez Aréchiga dedicated their season to Mario León, an offensive lineman on the team who died prior to the start of the season.[27]

The 2020 ONEFA season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico.[28] For 2021, it was announced that Anáhuac Cancún would be moved to the newly created Conferencia Nacional Centro-Sur and play a shortened four-game season.[29][30] The Leones opened the season with a 53–0 win over the Toros Salvajes UACh.[31] In their next game, Anáhuac Cancún was defeated 23–20 by the Búhos IPN – their first regular-season loss since 2017.[32] They went on to defeat the Leones Anáhuac Querétaro and the Red Wolves ASUCQ to finish the season with a 3–1 record, though no conference champion was crowned.[33][34]

In 2022, Anáhuac Cancún finished the regular season with a 6–2 record.[35] However, they were eliminated in the semifinals after a 21–7 defeat to the Lobos UAdeC.[36]

Championships

Conference championships

Year Conference Coach Record Opponent Result
2009Conferencia NacionalMarco Martos5–6Potros Salvajes UAEMW 20–19
2019Conferencia NacionalJorge Jiménez Aréchiga9–0Lobos UAdeCW 29–21

References

  1. 1 2 "Leones Anáhuac Cancún sudan la camiseta". Palco Quintanarroense (in Spanish). 19 July 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "En reñida final, Potros UAEM cae 19-20 ante Cancún". MVT.com.mx (in Spanish). 22 November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "Centinelas vence a la Anáhuac de Cancún y es finalista". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  4. ↑ Pacheco, Gabriel (27 January 2022). "Jacinto Licea: 99 años de vida y contando". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Final Mexiquense como epílogo". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). 22 November 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ↑ Castillo, Armando (4 November 2013). "Sirve de experiencia". El Quintanarroense (in Spanish). p. 18. Retrieved 3 March 2023 – via Issuu.
  7. 1 2 "Seguirá Leones Anáhuac- Cancún en la Liga Mayor". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). 10 February 2014. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  8. ↑ Gamboa, Alberto (10 November 2014). "Terminó el sueño". El Mañana de Reynosa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  9. ↑ Castañeda, Enrique (16 November 2014). "Lobos es campeón de la Conferencia Nacional". El Siglo Coahuila (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "ONEFA crea tres grupos y elimina las conferencias para temporada 2015". SinEmbargo (in Spanish). 7 February 2015. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  11. ↑ Pacheco, Gabriel (18 September 2018). "Anáhuac Cancún, tercer equipo en derrotar a la Conferencia Verde". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Pumas CU, a semifinales de la ONEFA". La Afición (in Spanish). Milenio. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  13. ↑ Torres, Pedro (7 November 2016). "Leones queda fuera de la postemporada". Diario Respuesta (in Spanish). p. 34. Retrieved 3 March 2023 – via Calaméo.
  14. ↑ Larios, Salvador (28 October 2017). "Anáhuac Cancún despiden a Frailes Tepeyac con derrota". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  15. ↑ Larios, Salvador (4 November 2017). "Potros Salvajes UAEM cabalgan sin problemas a la gran final". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  16. ↑ Pérez, Arturo (6 November 2018). "Potros Salvajes de la UAEM por su pase a la final de ONEFA". DigitalMex (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  17. ↑ Orozco, Sergio (5 November 2018). "Leones, perfectos". PorEsto (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  18. ↑ García Ramos, Alberto (11 November 2018). "Lobos Coahuila demuestra veteranía en playoffs, vence 35-33 a los invictos Leones Cancún para meterse a la Gran Final". Receptor (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  19. ↑ Pacheco, Gabriel (11 November 2018). "Marco Martos anuncia su salida de la Anáhuac Cancún". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "Leones de la Anáhuac presentan a su nuevo Head Coach". La Verdad Noticias (in Spanish). 24 May 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  21. ↑ Pérez, Arturo (11 July 2019). "Potros Salvajes de la UAEMex se enfrentarán a Borregos Toluca en scrimmages". DigitalMex (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  22. ↑ Morales, Pedro (17 December 2019). "ONEFA: Leones dio la cara por Quintana Roo". Radio Turquesa (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  23. ↑ García Ramos, Alberto (29 October 2019). "Las estadísticas no mienten: lo mejor de la Conferencia Nacional 2019". Receptor (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  24. ↑ Torres, Pedro (4 November 2019). "Leones de la Universidad Anáhuac Cancún, a un paso del título". Quintana Roo Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  25. ↑ García Ramos, Alberto (9 November 2019). "Perfectos: Leones Cancún campeones en la Nacional sobre Lobos Coahuila". Receptor (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "Victoria obtenida a base de trabajo y esfuerzo". El Economista (in Spanish). 22 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  27. ↑ "Leones Anáhuac Cancún reciben anillos de campeonato 2019 de la ONEFA". PorEsto (in Spanish). 17 January 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  28. ↑ Torres, Pedro (17 July 2020). "Cancelan temporada 2020 de la ONEFA". Luces del Siglo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  29. ↑ Pacheco, Gabriel (25 June 2021). "Lista la temporada 2021 de la ONEFA; 32 equipos aceptaron jugar". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  30. ↑ Arce, Pepe (5 November 2021). "Listos Leones Anáhuac para defender el cetro [sic] de Onefa". Quadratín Quintana Roo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  31. ↑ García Ramos, Alberto (13 November 2021). "Sin campeón, la meta es aplastar: Leones Cancún destroza 53-0 a Toros Salvajes Chapingo". Receptor (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  32. ↑ "Se llevan al más León: Búhos IPN PASMA a la Anáhuac Cancún con victoria 23-20". Receptor (in Spanish). 20 November 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  33. ↑ "Ganan Leones Anáhuac Cancún a sus 'tocayos' de Querétaro". Luces del Siglo (in Spanish). 29 November 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  34. ↑ Chi, Martín (5 December 2021). "Leones de la Anáhuac vence a los Red Wolves de Arkansas State Querétaro con 29 puntos a 7". PorEsto (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  35. ↑ Marín, Francis (6 November 2022). "Leones Silenció a los Lobos y Avanzó a los Playoffs de la ONEFA". Diario Cambio22 (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  36. ↑ Flores, Mario (13 November 2022). "Leones de Cancún caen en Semis de ONEFA". Luces del Siglo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 March 2023.
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