Everyone’s seen their share of inspirational sports movies based on real stories. Remember the Titans, Miracle, Coach Carter, the list goes on.

The key to the best of those flicks is usually one of two things: Adversity or an underdog.

The 2026 Lincoln-Way West softball team had both.

The Warriors won the Class 4A state championship on Saturday with a 6-1 victory over Mundelein. It was the first state championship not just in program history, but the first team state championship in school history.

In 17 years of competition, all of them under coach Heather Novak, no Warrior softball team had even made it past the sectional championship. Following their sectional title victory, each win became more historical than the last.

That culminated in the best piece of history any Warrior could ever hope for. That alone is movie material.

“We’ve been working for this since we were all freshmen,” senior Reese Cusack said. “Our whole team was pretty much seniors. It feels so good to have it all pay off.”

The history alone isn’t what made the Warriors such underdogs, though.

Last year, the Warriors didn’t make it past the sectional semis. Their sectional championship opponent (Lockport) finished fourth at state last year. Their state semifinal opponent was Marist, four-time state champs who finished third last year at state.

Yet the Warriors just kept on finding ways to win.

“We lock in during big moments,” Valparaiso commit Molly Finn said. “Our defense is on lockdown. When bases get loaded, we get out of the inning. We just get it done because we’re very focused.”

“Just get it done” would be the tagline of the movie. No matter what the Warriors had to deal with, that’s what they did, no matter the adversity they faced.

And they faced a lot of it from the start of the season.

Reese Rourke came into the year already the most decorated player in Lincoln-Way West softball history. She was a three-time All-State first team selection at shortstop and came into the year with the school record for career runs, doubles, total bases and stolen bases. She was tied for the lead with career home runs and broke it in the sectional title game.

Yet she very nearly didn’t add single number to those marks.

Rourke broke her wrist in just the second game of the year and required surgery. She’d hoped to come back during the regular season, but wasn’t able to make a return until the sectional title against Lockport.

That Lincoln-Way West went 23-7 in the regular season without her shows tremendous resiliency. That Rourke’s first game back saw her hit two home runs in a 2-0 win for the first sectional title in program history? That’s something else entirely.

“We really have come so far,” Rourke said. “We’ve been friends for so long and seeing us all accomplish our dreams together is so great and I’m so happy for us.”

Beyond Rourke’s injury, the Warriors kept finding ways to win despite adverse circumstances. They trailed Edwardsville in the super-sectional round early. The Warriors even found themselves down 1-0 after one inning on Saturday.

Rourke, a NC State commit, went 0 for 4 against heavily favored Marist. Abby Brueggman found herself in multiple jams during that game. Yet as Finn said, they just got it done.

It was fitting that the team was led by seven seniors, many of whom had been on varsity all four years. To end their careers on a win, the biggest win in school history at that, was a nice way to go out.

Though even with all the glory and tears of joy, Brueggman did acknowledge there was a bit of sadness to Saturday’s win as well.

“It’s kind of a mix of emotions,” she said. “It’s great, but it’sstill sad. I’m a senior and we had a lot of seniors so that (stinks) and it’s bittersweet.

“I’m still happy, though. I’m still going to be best friends with these girls so that’s okay.”

Brueggman will head to St. Xavier, Reese Forsythe will go to St. Ambrose and Reese Cusack ships out to Seton Hill, joining Rourke and Finn as college players. That leaves a lot of at bats and innings to replace from this year.

Hannah Borchert, Addison Andrieansen, and Kaylea Armstrong all came into the year with experience and only earned more throughout the year. Reagan Connolly did an admirable job filling in for Rourke much of the year and Holly Smith contributed this season as well.

That’s all to say that the cupboard is far from bare and Novak will be back for year 18 to oversee things.

For the seven seniors who closed it out in Hollywood fashion, though, even those returning had to offer a standing ovation for their finale.

“(The seniors) are my best friends,” Armstrong said. “I’ve played with them for three years. They’ve done so much for this program and I’ll just miss them so much. ...What a way to go out.”