Willowbrook entered Monday’s sectional semifinal with an undefeated record.

Sparked by a big-play offense and a tough defense, the Warriors went into the playoffs seeking to top last season’s Elite Eight run.

Throughout the regular season, the Warriors have stayed on the right path toward their ultimate goal of winning a state championship.

Nineteen opponents. Nineteen victories – most of them by massive margins and often via a shutout.

On Monday at South Elgin High School’s grass field, the Warriors continued their season-long trend, scoring 22 points in the first half to post a dominating 28-0 victory over Naperville Central in a sectional semifinal.

The Warriors (20-0) will play West Aurora on Tuesday in the sectional championship game at South Elgin. West Aurora scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and added a 10-yard scoring catch in overtime to post an 8-6 victory over Oswego East in the second semifinal to advance to play Willowbrook.

“We still have to play our games because at times we lost our composure,” Willowbrook coach Rachel Karos said. “We have to play cleaner and not have so many bad snaps. We need to do a better job on Tuesday, but other than that, we played very well. Many teams might have one all-star, but we have a complete and deep team. Naperville Central was tough and moved the ball well against us, not allowing us to play as many players.”

Willowbrook quarterback Marli Smrz was firing the football all over the field to the delight of her teammates. She fired three touchdown passes, highlighted by a 48-yard scoring toss to Janell Adams in the second half.

“We started off hot and came into this game knowing all of our weapons and put in some new stuff before the game and were confident,” Smrz said. “We are now one step closer to state.”

Adams showcased her burst on the touchdown catch, darting past several defenders that put the game out of reach for Naperville Central (16-4).

“I was very determined for the touchdown and wanted it very bad,” Adams said. “This win means a lot. We are ready for the playoffs.”

Defensively, Elizabeth Pettinger intercepted two passes to help her team record another shutout, blanking Naperville Central with a strong effort by the defense. Pettinger added another interception early in the fourth quarter, while her teammate, Carson Rieger, iced the victory with her own pick with six-plus minutes left to spoil a strong game by Naperville Central quarterback Lyla Hope.

“I just wanted to help my team out and get our momentum going,” Pettinger said. “We practice very hard and we also show up for each other.”

In the second game, Oswego East and West Aurora were locked into a defensive battle.

Both teams failed to score in the first three quarters, leading to an emotional and firework-filled fourth quarter.

Besides an interception by Oswego East’s Elaine Taylor at the 10:08 mark of the first quarter, the first half was devoid of many highlights. West Aurora quarterback Sarahi Carlos lofted a long completed pass to get the ball to the 30-yard line of the Wolves late in the second quarter, but the drive stalled when Carlos’ run on fourth down came up short with 1:29 remaining until halftime.

Early in the third quarter, West Aurora marched down the field, aided by a long run from Carlos and an 11-yard pass to Gisselle Torres. But Oswego East’s Danielle Stone ended the threat, intercepting a pass in the end zone midway through the quarter.

On its next drive, West Aurora had a touchdown pass brought back to the 5-yard line by the officials, leading to two straight incompletions and the drive ending in downs with just under five minutes left in the third.

Stone jumped back into the action. Her main role for Oswego East is running the offense via the quarterback spot, but she intercepted her second pass on Monday night with 23.2 left in the third.

A few minutes later, West Aurora (21-2) got the ball back in a favorable position to end the scoreless game, driving down to the 2-yard line. But Oswego East’s Ashley Gumm made a key tackle for a 2-yard loss and teammate Lauren White added a pass deflection followed by an incompletion from Carlos that put another frustrating end to a drive for the Blackhawks.

Carlos finally put a dent in the scoreboard, tossing a high-lofting pass in the end zone to Rylee Woodson for a 6-yard touchdown with 1:30 on the clock. On the very next play, Oswego East’s stagnant offense finally woke up, when Stone heaved a long pass into the waiting arms of Gumm, who raced 86 yards for a game-tying touchdown with 1:16 left in the game for a 6-6 tie.

“We kept battling tough because our defense was performing for us,” Stone said. “We set up a good play and went for it. I relied on my receivers because I trusted them and she made a great play. We battled hard the whole game. Both defenses were doing great. We stayed in the game and played tough.”

The heated contest turned in the overtime session, when Carlos threw a picture-perfect pass to Gracie Del Toro on the first play from overtime. The game ended when Oswego East (15-5) tossed an incomplete pass on their lone OT play.

“It was a crazy game and not pretty,” West Aurora coach Jordyn McFarlane. “We have a big heart and our defense came out and played hard. We gave up one big play, but we will be back at it tomorrow and be ready to play.”