By Tom Williams

The Bears snapped a three-game-losing streak to the Clippers with a 19-6 win.

COLUMBIANA — To the Leetonia Bears football team, nothing, not even honey, is as sweet as beating arch-rival Columbiana.

Smiles were everywhere on the vistors’ sideline Friday at Firestone Stadium after the Bears snapped a three-game-losing streak to the Clippers with a 19-6 victory.

“This feels excellent — I can’t believe we won,” said linebacker Andrew Ryan after the Bears (2-0) limited the Clippers (1-1) to one fourth-quarter touchdown. “It’s an amazing feeling.”

Senior quarterback Josh Selway agreed.

“This is the best feeling I’ve ever had playing football,” said Selway who scored three touchdowns. “This is as good as it gets.

For the fourth straight year, the Bears jumped out to a fourth-quarter lead. This time, they hung on.

“It’s tough getting over that,” Ryan admitted. “Even when we were up by 19, I thought [the game] was a bit of a struggle.”

That’s because the Clippers, after missing two field goal attempts and being stopped at the Leetonia 1 in the third quarter, made the game interesting early in the final quarter when Nick Roncone scored a 13-yard touchdown to cut the Bears’ lead to 13.

Four plays later, Clippers punt returner Tyler DeJong raced into the end zone, but an illegal block was called.

“I got blocked in the back so I thought it was coming back,” Ryan said. “At first, I didn’t see the flag so when I saw it I was ecstatic.”

The Clippers marched the ball deep into Leetonia territory. But on fourth and three, Roncone was stopped a yard short of the first down.

“We certainly had our opportunities and didn’t take advantage of them,” Columbiana coach Bob Spaite said. “Their defense did a good job against us. Selway is the one who killed us.”

Selway, who rushed 30 times for 194 yards, launched the Bears’ first drive with a 52-yard run late in the first quarter. The quarterback darted to his right then crossed the field to his left sideline. Moments later, he scored on a 1-yard plunge.

Fumbles set up the Bears’ other scoring drives. In the second quarter, Clippers quarterback Jon Ritchey and fullback Brian Warchol dropped an exchange that lineman Dan Davanzo recovered.

Five plays later, Selway darted to his left then ran to his right for a 34-yard touchdown.

In the third quarter, Warchol rambled for a 17-yard gain to midfield before fumbling. Leetonia’s Seth McNally recovered. Five plays later, Selway scored from 45-yards out, breaking three tackles.

Selway said his line — left tackle Jake McNally, left guard Matt Shar, center Seth Inboden, right guard Elliot McMurray, right tackle Donavin Hanna, tight end Andrew Trummer — deserved the majority of the credit.

“I wasn’t running through people most of the time, I just had lanes,” Selway said. “I was patient and they were pushing people around the field.

What about breaking three tackles?

Selway agreed that maybe he deserved some praise for “that one.

“I was just ready to play tonight. It’s probably the most excited I’ve ever been for a game,” Selway said. “The past three years, we just let it slip away. Tonight, it just felt like everything flipped over to our side.”

Warchol powered the Clippers offense with 187 yards on 26 carries.

“Tonight, we won the turnover battle and we didn’t miss too many tackles,” Leetonia coach Matt Altomare said. “We had some shoestring tackles but the important thing is that they made the tackles.”

williams@vindy.com