Hialeah-Miami Lakes' drastic improvement this season had it believing it could beat Hialeah for the first time in three years and reclaim bragging rights in one of Miami-Dade County's most intense neighborhood rivalries.

But sophomore quarterback Bidler Dorlean's 19-yard touchdown pass to Craig Wilkins with 1:45 remaining helped Hialeah earn the right to pose for pictures with the ''T Trophy'' Friday night after beating Hialeah-Miami Lakes 21-18 in front of 4,000 fans at Ted Hendricks Stadium.

Hialeah-Miami Lakes quarterback Njuguna Njoroge tried his best to pull off a miracle in the final seconds. But even after evading a defender, his desperation pass sailed over the head of his intended receiver on fourth down with 25 seconds left. On the previous play, junior Calvin Smith brought down Njoroge before he could scramble for a first down.

Hialeah (4-1, 1-0 District 13-6A) picked up its first district victory a week after being shut out by Carol City.

''We hadn't been in this situation before this year and our kids showed they are true champions,'' Hialeah coach Marc Berman said. ``But what a job HML has done. They have become a much better football team in a short time and they deserve a lot of credit.''

Hialeah-Miami Lakes (4-2, 1-1 District 13-6A), which went 1-9 in each of the past two seasons, almost won its fifth consecutive game.

The Trojans trailed 15-3 with 3:26 when the game was stopped because of lightning nearby.

After a 35-minute delay, Hialeah-Miami Lakes linebacker Benny Theysen recovered a fumble at the Hialeah 15-yard line.

Two plays later, senior running back Rome Cotton took an option pitch from Njoroge and surged 14 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 15-10.

After HML's defense forced Hialeah to punt on its next drive, Cotton scored his second touchdown of the game as he swept toward the sideline and ran 44 yards to the end zone. Then, out of the single-wing Wildcat formation similar to what the Miami Dolphins have been using recently, Aaron Marsh ran in motion, took a handoff and scored the two-point conversion to give the Trojans an 18-15 lead.

''We knew they were going to come in here and be very tough,'' Berman said. ``Their kids fought to the end of the game. Our guys showed a lot of character coming back themselves.''

The turning point on Hialeah's game-winning drive came on third-and-21 when junior Jamar McClain pulled down a pass in tight coverage from Dorlean for a 37-yard gain to the HML 38.

Five plays later, Dorlean lobbed the game-winning touchdown pass over two HML defenders into the back of the end zone, where Wilkins made a leaping catch.

McClain ran down a deep pass from Dorlean late in the first half for a 67-yard touchdown that gave Hialeah a 15-3 lead.

''We struggled at times, but our offense played much better,'' Berman said. ``Our kids made great catches and Dorlean made great throws.''

• Southwest 46, Ferguson 14: For most football teams, a 32-point margin of victory isn't bad.

The Southwest Eagles, however, aren't most teams this season.

Southwest coach Patrick Burrows addressed a rather somber Eagles squad after a win Friday over district rival Ferguson that improved Southwest's overall record to 4-1 and 2-0 in the district.

Despite the final score, Burrows and his assistant coaches had plenty to pick at. The Eagles turned the ball over three times, including back-to-back fumbles in the fourth quarter.

''It was a win and we'll take it,'' said Burrows, who is in his fifth season at Southwest. ``We played well for three quarters and gave up. But we did show that we're a good team.''

Quarterback Osvaldo Castillo had a stellar night and proved to be the workhorse Burrows envisioned at the start of the season. The senior threw for 113 yards and ran for 30 yards.

''Castillo does a lot of things well and he did them tonight for us,'' Burrows said. -- MELISSA ARTEAGA

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