The resilience of the IPN Burros Blancos is the engine that inspired them to play with determination in the 2nd episode of the Civil War, this time for the ONEFA National Championship. The spirit of former Cheyenne warriors arose in a sunny magnificent day. The same stage where 71 years ago the Burros Blancos, guided by Father Lambert, beat Colegio Militar, YMCA, Normal, Wachachara to win the National Championship. The times of the great Polytechnic teams are back. 

The visionary who brought to light the Instituto Politécnico Nacional Athletics is Doc Eduardo Antonio Vanegas López, Technical Assistance Coordinator at IPN, he’s an athlete with a PHD in law, and a true representation of a mentor for the student athletes. Doc Vanegas was the commander of the IPN Athletics from 2018 to 2019 and he took advantage of the opportunity to change the game dynamics in the powerful institution founded by Lázaro Cardenas in 1936, the year the Burros Blancos competed for their first time. 

Doctor Vanegas Lopez feels the intensity of competition, his administration skills led a team which brought the IPN Football program back to the glory with four teams ruling in two college football leagues: Burros Blancos and Águilas Blancas In ONEFA, Búhos and Lobos Plateados In FADEMAC. Doc Vanegas strategy has been always backed up by President Mario Alberto Rodríguez Casas and today it’s executed brightly by Athletic Director Mario Alberto Pérez Garduño. We witnessed in 2019 the return to greatness by the Politécnico teams. 

Saturday November 9th; this Championship game is a celebration of life, it is the presence of the new blood honoring those players of Águilas Blancas who founded the team 50 years ago, great athletes like Fernando Rosete (C), Mario Garcia Olguin, José Padron Tapia (T), Federico Reyes Rosas (NT), Rafael Hijar (RB). This game honors those players who were Champions with either the Voca 2 or the Poli Blanco Cheyennes, intense, passionate players like Mario Salum (QB), Carlos Díaz Ibarra (C/LB), Daniel “Tacuches” Hernández (RB), Alejandro Lara (G), Cuitláhuac “Cocodrilo” Medina (C), Germán García Pinto (S), Salvador “Pipo” Velez (HB) and my father Rubén Ureña (QB/HB) whose journey as an IPN student, player, coach and engineer, was honored at halftime of the semifinal game Burros Blancos-Leones.

The Burros Blancos freshmen from the Cheyennes were ready for the battle, Julio Hurtado felt the energy and he scored the first touchdown for the Zacatenco tribe; the second one was a precise pass to Gustavo Pecechea. The two polytechnic gigantic teams were colliding with fury and in the 4th quarter QB Alejandro Garcia made one cut to Emmanuel Cajiga who fell injured. No matter what Aguilas Blancas didn’t give up and tied the game. 

The dramatic Civil War went to over time. On 1st and 10 el Magnífico handed the ball to Aaron García who scored a TD in a polemical 7 yard run in which the ball apparently was inches away from crossing the line. College Football in Mexico has no review system so all depended on the referees eyes, you can’t blame a team for that; still, Águilas Blancas had their chance to score a touchdown and they blew it, their OL couldn’t stop the Burros Blancos blitz.

Defensive coordinator Gabriel “Black” Sánchez Acuña, and DBs coach Víctor Saspe, both Champions with the Pumas, knew the “volatile” offense very well so they went after the QB and recovered the ball to end this fantastic game at a beautifully packed Ciudad de los Deportes Stadium.  In a game of this magnitude, inches made the difference between living and dying and a new cycle has begun for the Zacatenco tribe and the Santo Tomás flock. 

The Burros Blancos beat the Águilas Blancas 24-17 in the biggest stage of the 2019 season, and became the fourth College Football team from Zacatenco to win the ONEFA National Championship. Congratulations to the Burros Blancos players, coaches, support staff, cheerleaders and fans, you earned the glory, and your colors maroon and white shine with splendor.