It was an emotional touchdown for the senior, who just moments earlier had knelt with his team as it watched star running back Julius Person get taken off the field on a stretcher after he suffered a serious leg injury. Person had taken a handoff and streaked up the field for a game-changing run, but he stayed down on the field for more than 20 minutes on the 2-yard line.

“It felt great to score for Julius,” Martz said.

Person urged his teammates to finish the job before he was taken to a hospital.

“He was more upset about not scoring the touchdown, and so I relayed that to the kids,” Coach Gerry Pannoni said.

Following Martz’s touchdown, the Stallions’ defense held the Bruins (7-2) from a potential game-tying drive. They huddled on the field postgame and chanted, “We will not be defeated.”

Before the game, Lake Braddock Coach Mike Dougherty described playing against South County (7-2) as “Groundhog Day” — implying the Stallions feature the same brand of football year in and year out.

“They’re going to have tempo, they’re going to be fast, they’re going to be physical, they’re going to chirp in your ear, and they’re going to try to intimidate you,” Dougherty said.

That modus operandi proved accurate early on. A quick rushing touchdown from Person in the first quarter preceded a blocked punt-turned touchdown in the second quarter to give the Stallions a 14-0 edge.

Lake Braddock junior quarterback Michael Suris, who took over the Bruins’ starting job midway through the regular season, drove his team down the field in the closing minutes of the first half and trimmed South County’s lead in half with a short rushing touchdown. The Stallions led by a touchdown at halftime.

The sides traded touchdowns early in the second half, and Lake Braddock running back JT Bordeaux found the end zone twice after the break. So did Martz, whose first touchdown of the game came on a 52-yard run in the third quarter. The Stallions held a 21-20 advantage with just minutes remaining in the game.

Person’s long run put the Stallions on the verge of breaking the game open, and Martz’s second score put the game further out of reach. The win was South County’s seventh over Lake Braddock in its past eight matchups and put the Stallions in prime position with the playoffs looming.