THE NIGHT THE CU PUMAS FOUGHT AT THE TLACHCO LIKE AZTEC WARRIORS
By Omar Ureña
The wind of Ehécatl slipped through the night. The spirit of the crimson tribe melted, merging with the heavy night image falling over Ciudad Universitaria on a night of spiritual ritual of the CU Pumas waiting in their temple for the UACH Águilas. Tonight the warriors of ‘el Pedregal’ raise their voice through the conch shell adopting the color of war for the Mexicas: red.
Aguelachao! The war cry blooms in the Olympic Stadium at Ciudad Universitaria. On its way to the field, the university team emerges from the marathon gate like deities from beyond the grave representing and honoring the Guerreros Aztecas.
Águilas and Pumas begin the battle. The freshman warrior, Jahdiel Alejandro Ponce (18), is the first to arrive carrying the ball from the ulama to the Aztlán, in a great escape of 91 yards, the young Puma arrived at that promised land surrounded by water. The illuminated scoreboard said 6-0 in favor of Universidad.
The Guerreros Aztecas emerged on the gridiron for the first time in 1970. The tribe with a red helmet with a golden chimalli was nourished by the university calpullis in the intermediate level such as the Gallos de Comercio, the Leopardos de Arquitectura and the Buitres de Medicina. The heroic 2024 CU Pumas CU are now dressed in scarlet and gold ‘Rayo Negro’ uniforms, the company that had the vision to pay tribute to university teams, last year honoring the Cóndores, tonight the team that was practicing on C.U.’s Field #3.
In 1974, the Guerreros Aztecas came to the ball game to face the Monterrey Tec Borregos Salvajes in a battle in which they defeated the scholarship players 26-13. It was an unforgettable afternoon in which QB German Capdeville and Alex Malpica shone, and there were also great plays by Tristán Moreno and Gustavo Torres.
The Guerreros Aztecas uniforms evolved, the first helmet in 1970 was red with an Aztec shield, later the iconic white ball arrow was added to the red helmet, followed in the 1980s by the silver Ohio State-style helmet with the red arrow and in the 1990s the red jersey contrasted with the helmet that became gold; armor with which they rose as champions of the Conferencia Nacional in 1995 with a victory over Tec Estado de México. The hero on that occasion was QB Mauricio Olmos.
The Autonomous Chihuahua University Águilas fight, the screams of combat and the heroic Goyas emerge, echoing with the drums of war. It is the nocturnal Tlachco. Here comes the great QB of the Pumas CU, Leonardo Garza, with his number three in white on the red jersey and who once again looks at the horizon to lead a great drive. The volcanic explosion of the Golden Horde’s offense set the Águilas on fire with a wild run by a defensive warrior of the lineage, LB Esteban Solares (9) who scored the second touchdown of the night. Andrea Martínez kicks and makes the extra point good.
This night is a tribute to dangerous players on the Guerreros Aztecas offense like WR #8 Gónzalo Bravo, the speedy #10 Francisco ‘El Perro’ Hernández, RB #29 Juan Manuel Romo and the incomparable #16 Alex Malpica who were protected by giant linemen like José ‘el Oso’ Romero. The enormous Pepé Romero, a physical player on the line of scrimmage, a fierce Olympic athlete who literally fought in the boxing ring and on the gridiron wearing the red jersey. Few know it but in 1976, in a UNAM boxing match, el Oso’ knocked out Julio César Fernández Ornelas, the Cóndores tackle.
The defense of the Pumas CU 2024 is a solid group that is made up of furious players like LB Yeshua Ocampo (40) who executed a grass-eating sack. The university defense pays tribute to the defense of the Guerreros Aztecas that shone with the honor and courage of wild leaders like José Pérez Trujillo and Mario Durán Zúñiga. Heroes like Fernando Rock who was also an aggressive and wild player with the Pumas and later joining the red and silver team. Names of great players inheriting the Puma tradition are evoked, such as Ernesto ‘Agapito’ Navas.
It is still the first quarter, in a 4th and 18 the Eagles execute a punt that is taken by the bold safety Brett Reyes (7), who runs down the left sideline 69 yards for the third touchdown of the Pumas CU and puts the score at 19-0.
The Guerreros Aztecas were sacrificed just like the Cóndores and the Águilas Reales in 1997, since that season there has been a group of warriors who keep the traditions of the tribe alive, knowledge acquired in the classrooms and on the field; great professionals like Dr. Daniel Olmedo Torres, high-class coaches like Antonio Paz and Eduardo Lozada, players of great honor like Carlos Medina, 1975 player of the year and Alfredo “Captain Blood” Varela.
UACH kicker Carlos Eduardo Jiménez is the player who decisively scores a field goal for the purple team and puts the score at 22-3. The second quarter is running and now the Pumas offense heads out on the ground crushing the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua with a 1-yard run down the middle, the Águilas can do little against the onslaught of the university players. Oh Universidad!…listen with what fervor your warriors sing this hymn in your honor tonight. The powerful Emilio Melo (21) scores a touchdown. Patricio Olvera (10) catches a pass in the corner of the end zone to complete the two-point conversion. The Pumas CU were ahead 30-3.
Special players and coaches of the former Guerreros Aztecas who will always mark history like the fast Erick Suárez or the fierce defensive end Roberto Soriano. Today is the night of red celebration. It is already the third quarter and the Águilas score a field goal again. The Pedregal team responded with the freshman Carlos Don Juan (80) who escaped on the left side in impressive fashion, covering 101 yards for the fourth touchdown of the Pumas who went up 36-6 after Andrea Martínez was tackled in the extra point attempt.
The third quarter continued, in 2nd and 1 the Pumas QB, Santiago Lovera, dribbled defenders to escape on a 21-yard touchdown run and that was how the spirit of the Mexicas was felt to vibrate on this night. It was three decades of history, of spirit, of belonging to a warrior tribe on the volcanic rock. These were the visceral rites so that the freshmen could become UNAM Guerreros Aztecas.
On another 4th down the Pumas CU defender, Julio César Hernández (15) threw himself to block the punt that resulted in a safety. This is the courage with which these Pumas honor the Aztec Warriors, with that boiling blood in the flint sacrifices and the printed image of the ‘tlacuilos’. The sun and the underworld are promulgated in this ritual under the rain at the C.U. Olympic Stadium.
In the fourth quarter, the Pumas’ entire aerial attack was launched and obsidian knives were thrown at the secondary of the Chihuahua Águilas with an accurate 6-yard pass to the middle from Santiago Loera to Emiliano Vadillo Mictlantecutli (13), reminding us of the great arm of Carlos Mohamed who was the QB who in the 1980s arrowed the defenses on those fiery afternoons at the Olympic Stadium.
This is the crossing of Aztec Warriors from different eras, such as Jorge Huerta, Carlos ‘Charlie’ Medina and the powerful running back Edgar Pulido. A splendor of scarlet legends who were coached by exemplary Tlatoanis such as Manuel “Gallo” Vázquez and Alejandro ‘El canario’ Morales.
This Pumas defense tackles with passion and crushes the enemy. As in the ritual dedicated to Tezcatlipoca, tonight the Calpixques take the Eagle prisoners with flutes, flowers and smoke cane to carry them up the empty seats of the eastern bleachers, breaking the flutes one by one on each step, and at the height of ‘el pebetero’ they will place them one by one on the stone block to stab them in the chest with the stone knife. It was already foreseen that the Águilas’ helmets would be thrown over the stands as in the sacrifices at the festival of Toxcatl.
The wind hit the rival with Aztec arrows, decreeing that the Pumas CU are going for the championship of the Big 14. The Pedregal tribe concluded the cosmic ritual by placing the ball on the jersey and raising a war spell to the stars for the next opponents, invoking the hills, the fountains and the beasts. The next battle will be ‘el clásico’ against the Polytechnic Águilas Blancas. On this night dedicated to Tezcatlipoca, the University of Mexico Pumas sacrificed the Chihuahua Autonomous University Águilas.
‘Aguelachao’!…The Guerreros Aztecas will always win!
CU PUMAS 51
UACH AGUILAS 6
