CHICAGO, IL. March 4th, 2023.
This is a new pro football season in Guadalajara. Today Los Reyes de Jalisco open the 2023 LFA season facing the Queretaro Gallos Negros, #2 ranked team in 2022. The sounds of White Stripes and the legendary cheer…”Yooo soooy Tequileeero!” wrapped it for good, emerging from the Jalisco Tequileros games of the extinct FAM YOX league. Time did justice in the style of Tlaquepaque artisans; now Jalisco’s capital city has only one team, a unit, an elite football organization.
The pro football team Reyes de Jalisco is now the king in the land of Mariachi and true champions as ‘Canelo Álvarez and ‘Checo’ Pérez. These warriors will have to be ambitious if they want to be the golden king of the west and central region of the LFA, facing teams like the Querétaro Gallos Negros, the Naucalpan Raptors, the Mexico City Reds and Mexicas.
Los Reyes arrived to Mexican Pro Football riding the 2022 LFA season with players like Majid Esparza, Jordon Shippy, a versatile and explosive running back who ran for 457 yards in the 2022 season. Rodnell Cruell (2), the 2022 receiver leader with 504 yards and 4 touchdowns. The monarchs at offense count on QB Shannon Patrick (10) and QB Carlos Farías (8). In its debut year this royal army invaded and armed themselves with valuable players like Demetrius Harris to land in the playoffs and finally succumb to the Raptors in the 2022 LFA wildcard game.
In 2023 the relentless DB, Mario Donnell (3), will return to the Jalisco Reyes defense. Donnell participated in 43 games (2012-2016) with Tennessee Tech University (Div 1 NCAA). This Nashville warrior is proud of his roots, being part of the Golden Eagles where he embodied his fury to register 132 tackles. The Reyes have another devastating defensive player back in their roster, LB Anthony Patrick (56) who in 2022 was leader of the LFA with 60 tackles, 40 on his own, he also had 2 picks and 1 forced fumble. Anthony played the years 2016-2019 for the University of Bethel (NAIA) in McKenzie, Tennessee. He tried an opportunity with the Detroit Lions but when he was cut, he decided to go to Saltillo, Mexico to play for the Dinos in 2020. Now Anthony Patrick is at ‘La Perla Tapatía’ for his second season with the Reyes.
Another disruptive player that will make the difference in the Jalisco defense is Emmit Gooden (55) who gets to Guadalajara from a difficult time in which he shone in 2018 with the Tennessee Volunteers of the powerful SEC, having 33 tackles, including seven for loss. Before wearing the Vols orange uniform he played at the Independence Community College in Kansas, where he got 136 tackles in two seasons in Junior College, by the way, he appeared on TV in the third season of “Last Chance U”.
These Reyes de Jalisco recruited Mexican young blood from the ONEFA with lots of energy and strength to get to this season hungry enough to eat a huge and spicy “drowned torta” with young defensive talent selected in the 2023 Draft as Miguel Ángel Aguilar (18), LB from the Pumas C.U. and DT Accsel Alejandro Rodríguez (75), who was the Reyes 31st pick, from the Guadalajara Borregos.
The Reyes fans are impatient and in 4 hours will vibrate with the 2023 season kick off against the Queretaro Gallos Negros today at 5:00 p.m. in the ‘Blue Fortress’, stadium nestled in the ITESM Campus Guadalajara in Zapopan. These kings have their swords ready.
Follow Omar Ureña on Twitter: @omarurena_
graficosports.com 