Creative Leetonia rallies for win

The Bears overcame a 12-0 deficit against rival Columbiana.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
LEETONIA -- All Leetonia High football coach Artie Altomare wanted was a good night's rest after a long week of preparation for Friday's game against rival Columbiana.
But as he lay in bed Thursday night, all he could think about was something offensive guard Andrew Billet had said to him during practice.
"I remembered him saying, 'I bet I could get to the quarterback before the ball's even snapped,' " Altomare said. "So I thought why not work giving him the ball into our gameplan against Columbiana."
Good idea.
From his right guard position, Billet pulled to the left side, took the hand-off from quarterback Cody Tittle and bolted 21 yards for the touchdown.
The score was one of four Leetonia put up in the second quarter, as the Bears rallied from an early 12-0 deficit with 34 unanswered points en route to a 40-18 victory over Columbiana (5-4, 3-3 Tri-County League).
The Bears (7-2, 5-1) are the number nine team in this week's computer playoff ratings for Division VI Region 21.
Perfect situation
"I knew I had some speed and we wanted to do something to catch them off-guard and we had the perfect situation to use the play -- and it worked," said Billet, who finished with 26 yards on two carries.
"The left side of the line blocked perfectly and when I hit the corner I was gone," Billet said. "When they called the play, I just starting thinking about not dropping the ball."
Leetonia didn't have any problems holding onto the ball, on the ground or through the air.
Known for their strong ground game, the Bears rarely throw the ball. But with the Columbiana defense daring Leetonia to pass, Tittle met the challenge.
The senior quarterback connected on 6-of-10 passes for 101 yards and one touchdown. He added a 3-yard scoring scamper on the ground.
"I have to give Cody a lot of credit," Altomare said. "Columbiana was putting nine guys in the box, trying to make us throw the ball. So we opened things up a little bit and Cody and the offensive line did a nice job. That opened up our running game for later."
On the move
The Bears' ground attack put up its usual big numbers. Leetonia rushed for 238 yards, led by 123 yards from Jamie Kegelmeyer. Aaron Merrill added 70 yards to top 1,000 for the season.
Leetonia's defense held Columbiana to just 68 yards rushing, allowing just the two first-quarter touchdowns and another score in the third quarter that cut the Bears' lead to 34-18.
"We held a good offensive football team to just 18 points," said Altomare. "We shut down their option completely. Our defense has really been playing well the last few weeks."
The victory keeps Leetonia's playoff hopes alive with next week's season finale at United looming as a must-win contest.