High school football rivalries come in all shapes and sizes.

In some years, the Mooney-Ursuline lovefest at Youngstown State University’s Stambaugh Stadium draws a crowd that fills a third of the seats.

Anyone who has been to Canfield-Poland game knows you better arrive early or be prepared to stand.

But the big schools don’t have a monopoly on rivalries. In Columbiana County, the Columbiana-Leetonia game has been played for about 94 years, according to Leetonia’s second-year head coach Matt Altomare.

“This is our biggest rival, the Backyard Brawl of Columbiana County,” Altomare said. “It means a lot to the community, it means a lot to the school, it means a lot to us coaches and it means a lot to the players who played in the game.”

The Clippers and the Bears are no longer league rivals. Both members of the Inter Tri-County League, the Clippers are grouped with Tier One’s bigger schools (South Range, Crestview, East Palestine) while the Bears are in Tier Two with the smallest of area schools (Western Reserve, Southern, Sebring, Jackson-Milton).

Now, their annual game has more impact on playoff points than league championships.

And the games have been tight, close enough in recent seasons that you would think that one of the fearless Blitz pickers would have sided with the Bears before last week’s contest.

So when the visiting Bears defeated the Clippers 19-6, Columbiana coach Bob Spaite wasn’t entirely surprised. He knows the value of motivation.

“They play us tough every year,” Spaite said. “People don’t understand that. Nobody understands that. Unless you play in this game, you don’t understand how much Leetonia wants to win this game.”

Perhaps because the Clippers know they now have to beat the likes of South Range and Crestview to win a league crown, Spaite credits the Bears for being hungrier before the league slate begins.

“They want to win the game more than our guys do,” Spaite said. “Every year, it’s the same thing. It’s a big rival and we want to play, but we don’t want to play as bad as they do, and that’s been that way since I’ve been here.

“Every year, it’s been the same thing with [Leetonia]. Whatever you see on film is not what you get — they play like … maniacs.”

Thanks to three rushing touchdowns by Bears quarterback Josh Selway, Leetonia jumped out to a 19-0 lead in the third quarter. But because of the nature of the rivalry, nobody was counting the Clippers out.

In their wins over the Bears the past three seasons, the Clippers overcame fourth-quarter deficits in each game.

This time, the Clippers thought they had reduced the Bears’ lead to seven midway though the final quarter when a clipping penalty erased a punt return touchdown.

“We talked all week to the kids about how the last three years we were leading in the fourth quarter,” Altomare said. “So we told the kids at halftime that you need to play a full four quarters of the game against this team because anything can happen.

“You never want to take anything for granted because when you are coaching 16, 17-year-old kids anything can happen.”

Columbiana opened the season with a win over Steubenville Central Catholic, a big victory that Spaite suggest bred overconfidence.

“Please don’t make it sound like I’m taking anything away from Leetonia,” said Spaite among his generous comments after the game. (Spaite’s ability to praise an opponent win or lose is a reason why many of us in media love covering a Columbiana game.)

“All week long, we had everybody telling us how great we were. That’s why I was so [frustrated] at the end,” Spaite said. “We told them and told them and told them and told them and told them and told them ... but you can’t tell them.

“[Steubenville coach] Reno Saccoccia down at Big Red told me the same thing — ‘more games are lost at the dinner table and on the street corner than anywhere else.’ And I believe that.

“You get people telling you how great you are, and all this other stuff, boy you guys are awesome and you kicked [Steubenville CC’s] rear end, yada yada yada .

“Well you know what? Leetonia [didn’t] care what we did against Steubenville, I can promise you. And Struthers doesn’t give two hoots in Hades what we did against Steubenville. And Crestview doesn’t care what we did against Steubenville. That’s just the facts of life.”

Selway rushed 30 times for 194 yards. On his third touchdown, he broke three touchdowns for a 45-yard score.

Selway admitted his was motivated by the rivalry’s importance.

“The past three years, we let it slip away,” Selway said. “I played as a freshman and remember seeing Andrew Billet how he felt after losing to Columbiana as a senior. I remember thinking I can’t be like that.”

Altomare wasn’t surprised at his quarterback’s extra effort.

“Josh did break some tackles — he’s a gamer,” Altomare said. “I guarantee that this game meant more to him than anyone else.”

Down the road, Leetonia’s win could make a difference when the computer ratings are released.

Their rivalry may not impact as many fans as Boardman-Fitch or Liberty-Hubbard, but a Columbiana-Leetonia rematch after Week 10 is something some football fans would enjoy.

And this time, the Bears might get a few pickers on their side.

XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write to him at williams@vindy.com.