As the moments ticked by, members of the Ferguson football team closed in on head coach Gene Chew to give him the celebratory water cooler shower after his Falcons defeated Varela 24-22 to capture the District 15-6A crown.

Chews teeth chattered a bit as he greeted family and friends after the game, but the cold feeling he had was one of a history-making chill.

The Falcons (6-3, 4-0) clinched the first football district title in its history with the win against Varela (4-5, 2-2) Friday night at Tropical Park Stadium in front of 3,500 fans.

``I'm at a loss for words,'' Chew said. ``This is just amazing. Just so amazing to come this far from where we started.''

Ferguson began the game Friday with a play that set the tone for the first half in that everything went its way. After Varela went five plays in its opening possession, Sebastian Villadiego completed a 54-yard touchdown pass to Michael Morales on the first play to give the Falcons a touchdown lead.

``I wanted to set the momentum early on,'' Villadiego said of the play. ``This is something that I, as a three-year starter, have been looking forward to. We have all worked so hard.''

The Falcons converted a short field in its next possession and came out with a 21-yard field goal by kicker Bryan Taborda.

Villadiego finished 11-of-20 passing for 191 yards and two touchdowns and added 90 yards on 11 carries. The senior quarterback had a fellow running mate in the backfield as Steven Braddy had a brilliant night for the Falcons.

The sophomore carried the ball 22 times for 127 yards and a touchdown.

``I have had so many great kids come through my program that winning today is not just for this team, but for all the kids who have played for Ferguson through all seven seasons,'' Chew said in a moment of emotion.

• Palmetto 34, Killian 0: Wilfred Butler ran the ball 23 times and rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown as Palmetto (6-3, 3-2) reclaimed the Big Cat Trophy for the first time in five years.

For coach Larry Coffey, it was the first time that his team won the trophy during his tenure with the Panthers.

Palmetto dominated and scored touchdowns in all three phases of the game and the coaching staff did a great job scouting as they did everything to neutralize Killian's Richard Leonard.

Wyatt Chickillo went 7 for 13 and threw for 101 yards and a touchdown.

``This performance as well as the triple overtime win [against Homestead] showed that our kids have character after coming back from loss to Southridge in the final seconds. They did what was asked of them and they responded,'' Coffey said.

Killian was led by Richard Leonard, who rushed 13 times for 46 yards. Hosey Williams also rushed for 25 yards.

Palmetto will close out its 2009 season against Miami High next week at Curtis Park, and the Cougars (3-6, 1-4) will play their season finale at FIU Stadium against Columbus.

-- JUAN ARANGO

• Western 20, Piper 6: Western's win coupled with South Plantation's 20-7 victory over Plantation moved the Wildcats into a three-way District 10-6A tiebreaker for the runner spot.

A tough defense and a big third quarter kept Western's playoff hopes alive and raised the Wildcats record to 2-2, 5-4. Piper fell to 0-4, 3-6 and is eliminated from the playoffs.

-- BUTCH STALLINGS

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