CAPE ELIZABETH — A couple of big defensive plays in the fourth quarter helped Leavitt hold off Cape Elizabeth 27-20 in a Class C South semifinal Friday at Cape Elizabeth High School.

The two-time defending Class C champion Hornets (4-5) will face Fryeburg (7-2) in the regional final next week.

“Feels amazing, man,” Leavitt senior Landon Daigle said. “We worked so hard all week, we had a bye week, long two weeks. We really needed to face someone soon, and I’m glad we could come and compete and get it done.”

Daigle made the first big defensive play when he intercepted a pass and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown to stretch the Hornets’ lead from one point to seven, 27-20, with 10:10 left in the game.

Daigle said he recognized the play Cape Elizabeth ran on his interception.

“We’ve been practicing that play all week, we knew they were going to run it, so it’s a matter of time that I just realized it and made a play,” Daigle said.

Five minutes later, Reid Langlois swatted down a pass on fourth down after the Capers had driven into the red zone, giving the ball back to Leavitt with 5:10 left.

Runs by Keegan Reny helped the Hornets drain the remainder of the clock.

Daigle finished with two interceptions. He also caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brock Poulin in the first quarter.

“That kid has played all year with two injuries that not many people can play with,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said. “He’s that kid out there playing with one arm for like 10 games this year, so credit to him to come up with big plays like that.”

With Friday’s victory, the Hornets earned revenge for their 21-14 loss to the Capers on the same field on Oct. 11.

“Because we lost to them, we just wanted to beat them even more …” Keegan Reny said. “So we just had to come in there with the mindset of, ‘We’ve just got to put the work in. We just got to run the clock and let the scoreboard talk, not us.’”

Hathaway said the biggest difference Friday was fine-tuned fundamentals.

“We definitely got some momentum when we stopped getting blocked (on offense) and making tackles (on defense),” Hathaway said. “So, honestly, it was really as fundamental as that.”

Reny began the scoring with a 3-yard run in the opening quarter. He finished with 108 yard rushing.

“Keegan’s been great for us all year,” Hathaway said. “Tonight, he kind of hammered out the clock at the end, and he just had a lot of key runs over the course of the game that kept moving the chains. We definitely wanted to keep their offense off the field.”

After Daigle’s touchdown catch later in the first period, Leavitt led 14-0.

Cape Elizabeth’s offense got going in the second quarter. Danny Gray, who finished with 81 yards rushing, scored to cut the deficit to 14-6, then Eli Halter’s 11-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion tied the game with 1:31 left in the first half.

Randon Hutchinson put Leavitt back on top with a 25-yard TD run in the third. The Capers answered with a 37-yard touchdown pass by Brady Inman to Eli Smith, but a missed extra point kept Leavitt ahead 21-20 midway through the quarter.

Inman finished with 148 yards passing and 37 yards rushing. Gray ran for 81 yards.

Capers coach Peter Cekutis said he was proud of the team’s fight this season, especially considering their small roster.

“These guys battled all season long,” Cekutis said. “They fought even when things didn’t go our way. They kept battling the whole time. Nobody ever quit.”