Kenneth Jinkins could see it coming, even if few others could.

The senior do-everything back knew the Warriors were a better team than most believed. They won three of their last four regular-season games to finish 4-4, showing improvement the entire way. There was no better place to show their stuff, Jinkins believed, than the playoffs.

So far, so good.

Jinkins, who also plays safety, paced Henry Sibley to a 28-21 victory over Hastings on Tuesday, rushing for 92 yards and two touchdowns. He improved on that performance Saturday, gaining 156 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, including a game-clinching 76-yarder in the fourth quarter, as Henry Sibley upset top-seeded and previously undefeated St. Paul Central 20-7 in a Class 5A, Section 5 semifinal.

“We definitely had something to prove,” Jinkins said. “We felt like we were getting better every game.”

Jinkins added familiarity with many of the Central players gave his team the extra push it needed.

“We know a lot of guys on their team,” he said. “Our goal was to prove to them that they couldn’t walk over us.”