By Joe Scalzo

The Bears fell into a 21-0 hole and were unable to catch up with the Wildcats.

MOGADORE — As he made his way through the post-game handshake line, Mogadore High football coach Matt Adorni spotted the final Leetonia player in line, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior who had tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

“I told him I wanted to kidnap him and put him in green and white next week,” Adorni said, “but I don’t think the state will let me.”

When asked about those comments, Josh Selway laughed and said, “I don’t know if that’s possible, but if they have a No. 1 jersey, I’ll be available.”

Playing the last game of his storied career, Selway — and his teammates — played hard and played well, but couldn’t stop the Wildcats from in a 30-14 victory in a Div. VI regional quarterfinal.

“What can you say, really?” said Selway, who started 42 varsity games over his four-year career. “Only one team in Division VI doesn’t go out with a loss. We had a great year — not just a great year but a great four years.

“It’s tough to go out in the first round or the second round, but you know, going 8-3 and making the playoffs, there’s a lot to be proud of.”

Selway rushed for a team-high 74 yards on 28 carries and completed 11 of 22 passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bears, who made the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time in school history. Leetonia is 1-5 all-time in the postseason.

“We competed and we competed hard,” said Leetonia coach Matt Altomare. “They [Mogadore] came as advertised. They were good up front, their backs ran hard. ... They were a good football team, as you would expect from Mogadore.

“We made mistakes and just couldn’t finish.”

Leetonia started poorly, losing 17 yards on the first play from scrimmage when a shotgun snap went over Selway’s head. Selway recovered the ball about an inch outside the goal line. Four of the Bears’ six offensive plays went for negative yardage, and nine overall in the first half, as the Wildcats took a 21-0 lead with four minutes left in the second quarter.

“We had a lot of young kids who didn’t get a chance to play in our playoff game last year and we tried to keep the nerves to a minimum,” said Altomare, who lost 15 starters to graduation from last year’s team. “We started out kind of poor, but one play does not a game make.

“We just had a few breakdowns against a very good team.”

Selway hit Justin Collella for a 22-yard TD pass with eight seconds left in the first half to cut the deficit to 14, but Mogadore added a third-quarter TD and a 25-yard field goal in the fourth to end the suspense. Leetonia’s other score came on a 15-yard pass from Selway to Andrew Trummer with 2:57 left in the fourth.

Sophomore Jake McAvinew rushed 15 times for 118 yards and two TDs and sophomore Kodey Chase added 96 yards on 14 carries for Mogadore (10-1), which was making its 10th straight playoff appearance.

“We knew they were going to be physical,” said Adorni. “I felt we contained Selway enough. Obviously, he still made plays. We knew we weren’t going to shut that kid down. He’s all heart.”

Selway garnered state-wide attention for his successful battle with cancer over the past two years, but it’s his play on the field that sets him apart.

“You only get kids like Josh once every five to 10 years,” said Altomare. “When you get them, you really appreciate how good and how competitive they are.”

After the game, Leetonia gathered in a large circle for their final “Bear Jacks” of the season, giving the seniors a few more seconds together on the field.

“We were living in the moment out there, having fun and thriving on our last chance to play football,” said Selway. “That’s what it’s all about. We were laughing and having fun until the last second.

“It was just a great night, a great time.”

scalzo@vindy.com