The Akron Rams came to the John Essex Hornet&8217;s Ronald Cook Stadium with nothing to lose. They kept the Hornet homecoming crowd quiet and walked away with a 44-26 victory.

Akron took advantage of a Hornet turnover on the first play of the game and scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass to go up 8-0 after the two-point conversion. JE took their next possession 81 yards down the field to get on the board three minutes later to close the gap to 8-6 on a four-yard run by Darnell Edwards. Later, while still in the first quarter, Edwards broke away for a 37-yard score to put his team ahead 12-8.

The Rams would add another touchdown with 3:23 left in the half on a seven-yard burst by fullback Vincent Perry. Akron regained the lead 14-12. With less than one minute to go in the half the Hornets turned the ball over on downs, giving AHS the ball at the John Essex 35. The Rams would reach the end zone on its second play of the drive with a 35-yard touchdown pass to build a 20-12 advantage at the half.

Akron did the only scoring in the third quarter as the Hornet offense could not get going, as penalties began to put a halt on the John Essex drive attempts. The Rams, meanwhile, took advantage of good field position and a 26-yard pass on a third and 20 to set up its next score. Perry reached pay dirt from five yards out, giving Akron a 26-12 lead with 3:38 showing on the clock the third quarter.

The scoreboard lit up in the fourth quarter as the end zone was reached five times. The Rams got in three times and the Hornets crossed in twice. Akron scored first in the quarter on another touchdown pass. This time it was for 29 yards. On their ensuing possession and on the first play, Hornet Latrell Griffin out ran the Akron defense for a 74-yard touchdown run, making the score 32-18 in favor of the Rams. Akron&8217;s Perry would give them their second touchdown of the quarter with an nine-yard run to give the Rams a commanding 20-point advantage with 6:51 left to play. Jamie Daniels shortened the JE deficit with a one-yard plunge. It would be the final score for John Essex. Akron added its final score at the 1:14 mark on another touchdown run by Perry. This one was for five yards.

John Essex remains winless in regional play with an 0-5 record. They are 1-6 overall. They face No. 2 Sweet Water, who will visit the Hornets next Friday.