CAPE ELIZABETH — It wasn’t sudden death, but it might as well have been.

Jordan Cluff caught a deflected pass and completed a 33-yard touchdown reception with 20.7 seconds remaining Friday night as third-seeded Wells rallied past No. 2 Cape Elizabeth for a 20-14 win in a Class C South football semifinal at Hannaford Field.

The Warriors trailed 14-6 entering the final quarter and turned the ball over three times in the second half. Somehow, they found a way to win.

“We just got heart,” said Wells Coach Tim Roche. “We’re resilient. We just do things. (The players are) resilient. It’s what Wells is. There’s something about our kids that make them great kids. They believed that entire time.”

Wells (8-2) will play at top-ranked Yarmouth in the regional final. Yarmouth beat the Warriors 16-15 on Oct. 2.

With both defensive lines controlling the tempo, the game was tight throughout. Cape Elizabeth led at the half, 7-6, on a short Jack O’Rourke touchdown run, then took a 14-6 lead with 6:13 left in the third quarter when freshman Andrew Hartel threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Justin Guerette, set up by a fumble recovery by Henry Shroder at the Wells 10.

But Wells fought back.

The Warriors tied it when Evan Whitten broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown run and Cluff caught the conversion pass from Owen Berry. Whitten ran out of the I-formation, an offensive set the Warriors seldom use.

“We thought maybe we’d get something with it,” said Roche. “And we lucked out and we hit it, and he’s gone. And then all this other stuff happened, and we win.”

Wells forced a punt and took over at its 20 with 4:56 left. On third-and-15, the Warriors tried a trick play, as Cluff caught a pass in the right flat and lateraled to Nick Hansen, who completed a 50-yard play.

Then, with Wells facing third down at the 21, Guerette sacked Berry for a 12-yard loss.

That set up the play of the year for the Warriors.

Hansen took a pitch and ran right. He then threw a jump pass high into the air. Cluff was covered by two defenders, and all three players leaped for the ball. Twice it was batted up before it floated back to Cluff, who was behind the defense at the 10. He caught it, turned and ran 10 yards for the winning touchdown.

“That was the luckiest play I’ve ever had in my life,” said Hansen. “I don’t really have words for it.”

“We were in position to make that play,” said Cape Elizabeth Coach Aaron Filieo. “They just executed a couple of plays that ended up winning that game. Tip your hat to them, but our guys played great. We played with a lot of heart, grit and great defense.”

Cluff, who received a hug from just about every teammate, coach and Wells fan after the game, was emotionally drained.

He said he faked a block on the winning play to hopefully draw the defense up to play the run.

“They didn’t bite on it like we hoped,” he said. “It was just a jump ball. I got it, turned around and just went for it.”

And even though the Warriors trailed into the fourth quarter, they were confident they could win.

“We never lost focus in the game, we always thought we had it,” said Cluff.

An interception by Riley Dempsey ended the final Cape Elizabeth threat.

“We fought through so much in that game,” said Hansen. “We didn’t have a lot going on offense. We just came through, were able to finish it and pull it out.”

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