Leetonia's Jaden Rivers will wrap up his high school career at the Penn-Ohio Stateline Classic on Thursday. (Morning Journal/Ron Firth)

COLUMBIANA — Leetonia High School graduate Jaden Rivers’ summer has already been a busy one.

Rivers was the lone Columbiana County player to play in the 40th Jack Arvin Classic on June 4 at Hubbard. There he helped the Mahoning-Columbiana County team to a 21-3 win over the Trumbull All-Stars.

“It was an all-around good experience playing with the other players,” Rivers said. “I got to make new friends and we ended up winning too.”

Winning had not been a part of the equation for a long time for Rivers and his Bears. Leetonia entered the season with a 30-game losing streak. The Bears ended that in the opener with a 47-0 win over Vanlue.

And then they just kept building from there. The team beat Mathews in the second week for its first win streak since 2020. Later it ended a 29-game Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference losing streak by beating Southern 41-18 on Oct. 3. The Bears even marched into the offseason with a 25-13 win over Wellsville in the season finale.

“Going from 0-10 to 4-6 doesn’t seem like much of an improvement since it was a losing record, but in the mindset of it all and with the community it’s a big improvement,” Rivers said.

The Bears entered the season not sure they would be able to complete a full season due to low numbers, but the team toughed it out.

“I tore my labrum in my (left) shoulder in Week 2,” Rivers said. “I just iced it after every practice after that.”

Rivers said he tore the labrum in his right shoulder in his sophomore year and had to have surgery on that one.

“I wish I could tell you (how it keeps happening),” Rivers said.

Rivers will suit up one last time in the Penn-Ohio Stateline Classic on Thursday at Geneva College.

“I think I’m a little bit ahead of everybody because I’ve had that week and a half of practice and game experience,” Rivers said. “I see a lot of lineman that I could compete with at practice and maybe get me prepared and make me better. I’m ready to play and beat Pennsylvania.”

Rivers’ future plans involves going to New Castle School of Trades in East Liverpool to get certified in HVAC.