It was somber day for the New Lenox and Frankfort communities on Tuesday in Lockport.

While both areas had to be proud to see their co-op boys and girls lacrosse teams each play in the Lockport Supersectional, it was also the last time they’d see either team all year.

First, the Lincoln-Way girls co-op lacrosse team faced off with Marist, hoping to earn a trip to the state tournament. Despite scoring the first two goals of the game, they eventually fell behind by six, fought back valiantly, but ultimately lost 11-9, ending their season.

The boys, too, saw their year come to an end. They were taking on St. Ignatius with a trip to state on the line, but fell behind by four in the first period, trailed by nine at half and didn’t fair better in the second half as they lost 15-3.

For the Lincoln-Way girls (9-7) it was a heck of a year for new coach Amy Bechstein. After finishing in fourth place at state in 2022, Lincoln-Way fell in a sectional final the next two years before falling in a sectional semi last season.

To make the supersectional for the first time in four years in year one was certainly something to take pride in. The group also held their heads high after falling behind 10-4 only to get as close as 10-8 midway through the final period.

“This season was phenomenal,” Bechstein said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these girls, especially knowing where they came from and how we united to be a solid team. We haven’t gotten this far in four years and almost clinched supersectional. We went out with a bang.”

The Lincoln-Way girls will lose just three seniors in Nora DeFrank, Mia Drzewiecki and Addy Kelly, though DeFrank and Drzewiecki were responsible for a third of Lincoln-Way’s goals scored on Tuesday. DeFrank complimented the coaching staff for helping the team break through this season.

“I feel like having new coaches changed a lot,” DeFrank said. “We had the people, we just never had the coaches to put it together. The coaches were the ones that brought it all together and made this season great.”

Bechstein acknowledged the three seniors will be hard to replace, but also pointed out this is a group filled with talented youngsters. Sophomore Nora Deady led the team with four goals on Tuesday while juniors Madeline Rumbaugh and Kaira Jasper also scored.

“(The seniors) left big shoes to fill,” Bechstein said. “I know their older sisters left big shoes before them, though, and they filled them admirably. I have a lot of confidence in this team moving forward and the future seasons to come. ... We’re coming back for more and we’ll be ready for more.”

For what it’s worth, DeFrank thinks the squad will be just fine.

“This program has meant a lot to me,” DeFrank said. “It’s helped me grow as a lacrosse player. It’s been great to play with so many different people and I’m looking forward to seeing how these girls do after I leave.”

The Lincoln-Way boys (12-5) also had plenty to hang their hats on. Going into Tuesday, they’d outscored their opponents 150-74. This year was also the first time they made a sectional final since 2021, and was the first time they made a supersectional since 2019.

That’s the kind of effort the team could take pride in despite a rough end of the year.

“This group was just a special bunch,” coach Tyler Jackson said. “I remember coaching them in travel ball when they were in seventh and eighth grade and I had them circled for a long time. They set a new standard and raised the expectations.

“They showed up everyday and I got a bunch of grinders. This was a special team from top to bottom with great seniors and some sophomores we brought up. The future is looking bright.”

Lincoln-Way also didn’t allow a 9-0 deficit at halftime time to keep them from fighting. Gavin Spreadbury scored the first goal of the game for Lincoln-Way with 10 minutes left in the third period with Carter Krynski and Raine Massat adding goals in the fourth.

As Jackson said, the future is bright for this team. He acknowledged losing honorable mention all-state goalie Logan Lahey will be tough, but there are a lot of young players coming back with another year of experience.

“We’ve got six sophomores who will contribute a lot,” Jackson said. “We have a solid junior class on the defensive side of the ball. ... (Lahey) is a team captain and just unreal so those are big shoes to fill, but I expect us to be back in the sectional conversation again next year.”