Akron had won five straight home games dating back to last season and Jakzon Livesay did his part to make it six on Friday. The Akron Rams were the clear victor by a 56-32 margin over the Merino Rams thanks in part to Livesay, who rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries. Those 148 rushing yards gave him a new career-high.
Livesay was just one part of a punishing run game: Akron was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 332 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 272 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Akron didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Livesay and Jace Curtis.
Merino's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Coen Schmidt, who rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry, and also threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes. Schmidt showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 58 yards. A healthy portion of Schmidt's aerial production (112 yards to be exact) went to Jacob Frank, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Akron's win bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Merino, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season.
Akron wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next match, a 46-34 victory against Clear Creek on the 10th. As for Merino, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next matchup, a 44-14 loss against Byers on the 10th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
