A&M Consolidated football is facing an unusual opponent this Friday. Sandwiched between games against Huntsville and Lufkin, the Tigers are set to face the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Auténticos Tigres.
When one googles the UANL Auténticos Tigres, they (usually with the help of Google Translate) find the official American football team of the Autonomous University of Neuvo León. But why is Consol playing against a college team?
The short answer is, they’re not. The long answer involves oversimplifying an entire national education system, and is also no.
UANL, while a university, has several high schools that are a part of the university system. In football, they have three different age groups: the Liga Mayor team that plays in the highest division, the Intermedia squad made up of 19 and 20-year-old players, and the Juvenil team that consists of 17 and 18-year-olds. Consol faces the latter.
Got it? Good. Because the Tigres are no slouch.
“We were the national champions of Mexico in 2018 and 2019,” UANL Juvenil head coach J.C. Garcia said. “We were undefeated both years. It’s the 78th year of football at our school. It’s not new to us.”
Mexican teams have been a part of Texas high school football for years, and UANL has been making the trip north for two decades.
For the Texas schools, the Mexican squads provide a non-district opponent to complete their schedule. But for teams like UANL, the chance to play their preseason in Texas is a treasured opportunity.
“We want them to appreciate our football in Mexico,” Garcia said. “But traveling, the hotels, and everything creates a demand for leadership and a team bond. It creates more camaraderie and friendship between teammates. It’s tiring, having to travel every week, but it’s better for us to travel in that way.”
Plenty of teams see Mexican opponents as an easy win. And yes, the blowouts have been there, but so have the losses. UANL themselves beat Killeen Shoemaker 24-12 in 2017.
The Tigres have never faced the Tigers, but they have faced Consol head coach Lee Fedora. UANL faced Fedora’s Navasota Rattlers in 2014 and 2015 and left quite an impression on the coach.
“They were a very classy group,” Fedora said. “They came and played hard, but they were very respectful. And [Garcia] is a good guy, he’s one who always stays on board with everything. He’s a nice guy.”
Garcia and the Tigres feel the same way about Fedora.
“It’s great to be around the type of head coach Fedora is,” Garcia said. “Every time we travel, each year, we try to say hi to him and his brother [former UNC head coach Larry Fedora].”
Regardless of Friday’s result, the Auténticos Tigres are excited for their visit to Tigerland.
“We’re just waiting for the moment [when] we arrive,” Garcia said. “Just to play in College Station, in that atmosphere, is incredible.”
