Floyd posts first win of season

FLOYD — The Floyd Broncos started well, and finished even better thanks to senior Kyle Kropf.

Kropf accounted for 151 yards of offense and four of Floyd’s six touchdowns i its first win of the year, a 38-18 home triumph over Magdalena.

Floyd held off the visiting Steers with a 20-point fourth quarter, all on scores Kropf helped create.

As well as they finished, it was how they started that set the tone. Kropf put Floyd on the board first with a 3-yard rushing touchdown in the first and the Broncos never trailed.

An exhausted Kropf gave a lot of the credit to head coach Rafael Roybal, who earned his first win as Broncos coach.

“The coach’s speech in the locker room really motivated us,” Kropf said. “We had our heads straight and came out ready to play.”

Whatever the reason, Roybal thought coming out aggressive early was a key to the victory.

“I think it made a big difference. Before, we haven’t started well. The first game (against Tatum), we weren’t ready — second game (at Animas), we traveled for eight-and-a-half hours on a bus. It was a lift to be at home and get off to a good start.”

Roybal thought that Kropf and his two other seniors — Jason Martinez and Brad Lee — did a great job.

“He played well. It’s a little difficult because we’ve got 10 (players),” Roybal said. “To back up my skills people — Jason and Kyle and Brad — there’s nobody. It’s a long game for them.”

The three, especially Kropf, saved their best for the final 10 minutes.

With less than two minutes passed in the final quarter, Kropf broke a trio of Magdalena tackles and sprinted the final 30 yards untouched on a 44-yard score, and Floyd’s next offensive play three minutes later saw Kropf finding Chet Chenault all alone on a 50-yard scoring pass.

“It was the fourth quarter and our adrenaline was there,” an exhausted Kropf said. “They were talking a lot of trash and we wanted to shut them up.”

If those scores weren’t enough, Kropf got the final word on the game’s last play, when he intercepted K.C. Armstrong’s pass and took it 55 yards down the left sideline for the score.

Magdalena coach Marvin Martin said his team didn’t play well, and the difference was probably the experience of Floyd’s seniors.

“(Kropf) did some good things, but to tell you the truth, (Lee) made things hardest for us on both sides of the ball,” Martin said. “You’ve got to watch out for him always.”

Lee added key plays as well, finding Martinez for a 17-yard touchdown reception as the second quarter expired.

Martinez added a 24-yard scoring run in the second and accounted for 105 offensive yards (65 rushing, 40 receiving).

Chris Carolus accounted had two of Magdalena’s three scores — a 30-yard run in the first and a 15-yard reception from Armstrong in the fourth — and Dominic Mansell’s scored on a 6-yard reception from Frank Markez in the third.