Multiple things can be true at the same time.

After Lincoln-Way West finished the regular season under .500 and only earned the 12 seed in its playoff bracket, it put up the run of a lifetime. The Warriors advanced to the Joliet West Sectional finals despite a brutal schedule. They deserve respect for doing that much.

It’s also true that Lincoln-Way Central has been one of the best teams in the area all season long and rightfully earned a trip to the sectional finals too. The Knights had several heartbreaking losses in the sectional round over the past few years.

Saturday, they played the way they’ve played all year in a 3-0 win over Lincoln-Way West in the Class 3A Joliet West Sectional championship game.

Lincoln-Way Central captain Derrick Rafacz scored twice in the first half, the defense kept Lincoln-Way West at bay throughout the game to earn a sectional championship trophy and a trip to the supersectional.

The Knights (18-4) have been no strangers to success since coach David Brown took over in 2021. This was the fourth year under Brown’s leadership Lincoln-Way Central won a regional championship.

However, this year is also a history maker. It’s the first time they’ve won a sectional championship since 2006. The title was a long time coming for the Knights.

“Before we got on the bus today we looked at the board at school that listed all the regional and sectional championships,” Brown said. “We talked about adding a number to that board because it’s been a while. We locked in early, came out with great energy and focused. Credit to the boys in how they performed today.”

The Warriors (9-10-1) entered the postseason 6-9-1 and played their first game at Joliet Central. They needed PKs to sort that one out after tying 1-1 in regulation.

In the regional finals, they took on Sandburg and the defense kept Lincoln-Way West alive. The contest went to overtime, where the Warriors won the regional championship. They gritted out a 1-0 victory over Stagg just to get to the sectional finals and played the Knights tough.

“We lost to Joliet Central in the regular season and beat them in the playoffs,” coach Matthew Laude said. “We beat Sandburg in pens in the regular season and beat them again. We lost to Stagg in the regular season and beat them in the playoffs. We kept preaching to the boys that it was a process.

“We worked out the errors, peaked at the right time and did well. Central is a class program from top to bottom and we fought for 80 minutes against them. I couldn’t be prouder.”

The first goal of the game came just three minutes into the action. Rafacz took the ball in front of the net and managed to squeeze it in the right corner before being surrounded by teammates in jubilation.

The second came in the 16th minute and it was all Rafacz again. The senior captain took a corner kick and bent the ball to his will into the net to put Lincoln-Way Central up 2-0.

The third goal came with just 11 minutes remaining as Chuck Stevens slammed it in to all but guarantee the win for Lincoln-Way Central.

“I’ve been coming to the kids camp at Lincoln-Way Central for years,” Rafacz said. “From freshman to senior season now I’ve been on varsity. To finally make it past the sectional semifinal round was so great. It means everything.”

Now, the Knights will head to Lyons on Monday for a date with St. Laurence, which beat Morton 1-0 Saturday to advance. That game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.