Apparently no one told Plainfield Central’s flag football team that teams aren’t supposed to advance this far in the playoffs in their first season.

The Wildcats, seeded ninth in the 13-team Sub-Sectional A of the Danville Sectional, continued their upset streak Monday by topping second-seeded Yorkville, 22-8.

Last week, they beat eighth-seeded Plainfield North, No. 1 Bradley-Bourbonnais and No. 3 Romeoville to win the regional championship. The Wildcats (13-8) will play Edwardsville, the No. 4 seed in Sub-Sectional B, which beat No. 12 Mascoutah 32-13 in Monday’s other semifinal game, in Danville on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Much like their previous two wins, Monday’s game was a tight one for the Wildcats.

Plainfield Central got the ball first, and marched down the field. They used nine plays to cover 86 yards, with quarterback Alyssa Link hitting receiver Ella Page for an 18-yard touchdown pass. The same two teamed up for the two-point conversion and the Wildcats led 8-0.

“I like to be the go-to receiver,” said Page, who caught seven passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. “I have a lot of confidence in Alyssa that she will get the ball to me where I can catch it. We have played other sports [basketball and soccer] together since freshman year, so we have a lot of trust in each other.

“This whole team trusts each other and we feed off of people making good plays. No one is selfish, everyone is rooting for each other and we win together.”

Yorkville (15-5), playing without starting quarterback Brooke Ewkinski, who suffered a knee injury in the regional championship against Oswego, was able to rally behind backup Hayden Hodges. Hodges hit Kayla Kersting with a 51-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, and connected with her again for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 8 with 11:12 to play until halftime.

Plainfield Central, though, had an answer. Link and Page connected for what appeared to be a 54-yard touchdown, but it was called back on a flag-guarding penalty. From the Yorkville 41, Link hit Page for a 22-yard gain. After Grace Flanagan ran for a 15-yard gain, Link ran it in from four yards out and hit Nicolette Kinsela for the two-point conversion and a 16-8 lead with 6:50 left in the first half. The defenses took over from there, and it was 16-8 at halftime.

“Give credit to Plainfield Central,” Yorkville coach Clarissa Cooper said. “They executed their plays and played great defense. It was tough having our quarterback [Ewkinski] out, but Hayden Hodges did a nice job filling in. Kayla Kersting made a couple of big plays early, but they shut her down after that.

“We had a really good year, winning 15 games and a regional title after winning 12 last year. It wasn’t the way we wanted it to end, but it was a good year overall.”

It was the Wildcat defense that stole the show after halftime. On 4th and 5, the Wildcats’ Maesyn Overman pressured Hodges into throwing early and incomplete. On the Foxes’ next drive, Overman had a sack that forced a Yorkville punt.

“We watched film and studied what their strengths and weaknesses were,” Overman said. “I like going after the quarterback. It’s fun to get a sack.

“We just all go out there and have fun. Our energy really gets up when we score touchdowns, and everyone wants everyone else to do well.”

Plainfield Central put the game away with a 79-yard drive that ate up nearly 10 minutes off the clock. The Wildcats started the drive with one play in the third quarter, then scored on a 16-yard TD pass from Link to Page on fourth down with 3:24 remaining to take a 22-8 lead.

After Yorkville got a first down on a pass from Hodges to Annabel West, Overman got another sack and Shania Davison followed by breaking up a pass. A nine-yard pass from Hodges to West brought up fourth down, and Central’s Madison Roberts broke it up. A run by Link netted the Wildcats a first down and they were able to take a knee on the final two plays.

“It’s all about confidence with these girls,” Plainfield Central coach Jenna Malak said. “Once they get the lead and have that confidence going, they are hard to stop. In the last 10 games or so, we have only really been down in that Bradley-Bourbonnais game.

“Our defense, to hold a team to just one touchdown is great. Maesyn Overman really gives teams trouble with her pass rush. Even if she doesn’t get a sack, she makes them throw it a lot sooner than they want to. We are having so much fun right now, we don’t want it to end.”