Wolf Pack starts fast to beat Spartans

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

DILL LEADS WEST HILLS PAST CHULA VISTA

Senior quarterback accounts for 203 yards,  four touchdowns as Wolf Pack opens ’26 with a 28-13 victory

By RAMON SCOTT
EastCountySports.com

SANTEE (8-21-26) — Last season, West Hills waited until October to show what kind of football team it could become.

This time, the Wolf Pack made its point on opening night.

Senior quarterback Evin Dill rushed for 104 yards, threw three touchdown passes, showing a deft touch, and helped West Hills control Chula Vista for a 28-13 nonleague victory Friday night.

The Wolf Pack’s offense produced four touchdown passes — including one thrown by junior Rene Varela-Ugalde on a gadget play — while its defense completely shut down the Spartans’ running game.

West Hills held Chula Vista to just 36 yards on 21 rushing attempts, recorded two sacks and intercepted a pass. The Spartans gained 216 yards through the air but scored only once until a 70-yard touchdown with 1:25 remaining.

It was precisely the kind of complete, controlled performance West Hills needed after beginning last season 0-5 before winning four of its final five regular-season games.

This year, the Wolf Pack is 1-0.

Opening statement

Chula Vista attempted to seize the early momentum with an onside kick to begin the game, but West Hills recovered and immediately took advantage of the favorable field position.

Dill broke loose on a 32-yard keeper, carrying the ball to the Chula Vista 5-yard line. Two plays later, he connected with senior E.J. Lee-Fields for a 4-yard touchdown pass.

Junior kicker Fenix Fitzgerald made the first of his four extra points, giving the Wolf Pack a 7-0 lead on their opening possession of the season.

Chula Vista answered late in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Isaiah Orta found senior Myshawn Mitchell for a 13-yard touchdown with 5.2 seconds remaining, and the extra point tied the game at 7.

West Hills reclaimed the lead with 8:50 remaining in the second quarter on Dill’s first touchdown connection, with junior receiver Chuck Rosolino.

That score sent the Wolf Pack into halftime with a 14-7 advantage.

The lead held through almost the entire third quarter as the West Hills defense kept Chula Vista off the scoreboard. The Spartans could not establish a consistent running game and were repeatedly forced to rely on Orta’s passing.

Then the Wolf Pack delivered the play that gave it command of the game.

With seven seconds remaining in the third quarter, Dill handed the ball to Varela-Ugalde, who pulled up and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to senior Caden Johnson.

The gadget play was executed perfectly, and Fitzgerald’s extra point made it 21-7 entering the fourth quarter.

West Hills struck again in the final period. Working from the Chula Vista 20, Dill connected with Rosolino in the corner of the end zone for their second touchdown of the night.

The play gave West Hills a three-touchdown lead and completed a remarkably efficient passing performance. The Wolf Pack completed only nine passes, but four went for touchdowns.

Chula Vista scored once more when Orta found senior Gabriel Ruiz on a short out route that Ruiz turned into a 70-yard touchdown with 1:25 remaining.

The Wolf Pack closed out the remaining time and walked away with a season-opening victory that was more decisive than the final margin suggested.

Dill delivers on the ground and through the air

Dill completed 8 of 15 passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He also carried 12 times for a game-high 104 yards, averaging 8.7 yards per attempt and finishing with 203 yards of total offense.

His 33-yard rushing gain was the Wolf Pack’s longest run of the night.

The senior entered the season as West Hills’ most important returning offensive player after accounting for 1,165 total yards in 2025. His mobility was expected to become an even larger part of the offense behind an experienced line.

That was evident immediately against Chula Vista.

Dill’s running ability produced more yardage than the Spartans’ entire rushing offense, and his early 32-yard keeper set up West Hills’ first touchdown. His passing numbers were not huge, but he consistently made his completions count.

West Hills averaged 14.1 points per game last season. On Friday, Dill helped the Wolf Pack double that figure.

Rosolino emerges as scoring threat

Rosolino entered the opener without being one of the most frequently discussed pieces of the West Hills offense, but the junior quickly changed that conversation.

He caught three passes for 43 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Wolf Pack in both receiving yards and scoring receptions.

Rosolino’s fourth-quarter catch in the corner of the end zone was especially important. It extended the lead to 28-7 and effectively ended Chula Vista’s comeback hopes.

Lee-Fields caught two passes for nine yards and scored the opening touchdown. Johnson’s only reception was the 28-yard score from Varela-Ugalde.

Junior Marcus Leath supplied the Wolf Pack’s longest conventional pass play with a 32-yard reception. Senior Adan Torres caught one pass for nine yards, and junior Evan Dorris added a 6-yard reception.

Dorris also carried eight times for 30 yards as the primary complement to Dill in the rushing attack.

West Hills finished with 147 rushing yards and 127 passing yards for 274 yards of total offense.

Defense wins the critical matchup

Chula Vista actually finished with only 22 fewer total yards than West Hills, but the game was not nearly as close as those totals might indicate.

The Spartans accumulated 70 of their 252 yards on Ruiz’s touchdown reception in the final 85 seconds. Before that play, West Hills had allowed only 182 yards and seven points.

Most importantly, the Wolf Pack eliminated Chula Vista’s ground attack.

Senior Elijah Richardson was held to five yards on eight carries. Sophomore Asher Richardson finished with minus-3 yards on five attempts, while Ruiz led the Spartans with only 20 rushing yards.

Junior Lucas Sauls recorded a sack for a 14-yard loss, and senior Seth Creech added another for a 9-yard loss.

Senior linebacker Scotty Miller intercepted Orta and returned the ball seven yards.

West Hills’ new defensive approach was expected to emphasize pressure and aggression. The early results were encouraging: two sacks, an interception, 1.7 yards allowed per rushing attempt and only one meaningful touchdown surrendered.

Orta completed 14 of 24 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Ruiz caught four passes for 125 yards, but his late 70-yard score accounted for most of that production.

Senior Jaylen Clark had six receptions for 64 yards, while Mitchell’s lone catch produced Chula Vista’s first touchdown.

Special teams do their part

Fitzgerald converted all four of his extra-point attempts. He also attempted a 41-yard field goal but missed.

Johnson contributed one of the night’s biggest hidden-yardage plays with a 52-yard punt.

Chula Vista’s decision to open with an onside kick backfired when West Hills recovered and turned the short field into a touchdown. From that point forward, the Wolf Pack played with the lead for all but a brief stretch at the end of the first quarter.

PACK POINTS

Efficient scoring

West Hills completed nine passes against Chula Vista. Four resulted in touchdowns.

Dill threw scoring passes to Lee-Fields and Rosolino twice, while Varela-Ugalde went 1-for-1 for 28 yards and a touchdown to Johnson.

The Wolf Pack averaged 14.1 points last season but scored 28 in its 2026 opener.

Dill’s complete night

Dill accounted for 203 total yards:

• 12 carries, 104 yards
• 8-of-15 passing, 99 yards
• Three touchdown passes
• No interceptions

His 104 rushing yards were nearly three times Chula Vista’s team total of 36.

Rosolino makes his introduction

Rosolino finished with three receptions for 43 yards and two touchdowns. No other West Hills receiver had more than two catches.

Defense by the numbers

West Hills limited Chula Vista to:

• 36 rushing yards
• 1.7 yards per carry
• No rushing touchdowns
• Seven points through the first 46 minutes, 35 seconds
• Two sacks totaling 23 lost yards

NEXT: WEST HILLS AT BONITA VISTA

West Hills will attempt to begin the season 2-0 when it travels to face Bonita Vista next week.

The Barons will be trying to rebound from a 28-0 loss to Eastlake in their opener. Bonita Vista struggled to generate points against an Eastlake defense led by Noah McCurty, who recorded 12 tackles and a sack.

Eastlake received rushing and receiving touchdowns from Jeremiah Holliday and David Sampson, respectively, and handed Bonita Vista a shutout loss.

That result should give West Hills another opportunity to lean on the strength it showed Friday night: a defense capable of controlling the line of scrimmage and forcing an opponent into predictable passing situations.

The Wolf Pack must guard against reading too much into Bonita Vista’s opening score, however. The Barons faced an Eastlake team with a physical defense, and they will return home motivated to avoid an 0-2 start.

For West Hills, the offensive objective should remain the same.

Let its experienced line establish the running game. Continue using Dill as both a runner and passer. Take selective shots downfield to Rosolino, Leath, Lee-Fields and Johnson. Most importantly, avoid turnovers and force Bonita Vista to sustain long drives against the Wolf Pack defense.

West Hills spent the first half of last season chasing its first victory. Following Friday’s win, the Pack will enter Week 2 with an entirely different opportunity — building early momentum instead of trying to recover it.

SCORING SUMMARY

Chula Vista — Mitchell 13-yard pass from Orta (Amador kick)
West Hills — Lee-Fields 4-yard pass from Dill (Fitzgerald kick)
West Hills — Rosolino pass from Dill (Fitzgerald kick)
West Hills — Johnson 28-yard pass from Varela-Ugalde (Fitzgerald kick)
West Hills — Rosolino 20-yard pass from Dill (Fitzgerald kick)
Chula Vista — Ruiz 70-yard pass from Orta (kick failed)

WEST HILLS STAT LEADERS

Rushing: Dill 12-104; Dorris 8-30; Torres 1-6; Magnarelli 1-3; Leath 1-2; Curtis 1-2.

Passing: Dill 8-15-99, 3 TD; Varela-Ugalde 1-1-28, TD.

Receiving: Rosolino 3-43, 2 TD; Leath 1-32; Johnson 1-28, TD; Lee-Fields 2-9, TD; Torres 1-9; Dorris 1-6.

Defense: Miller interception, 7-yard return; Sauls sack, 14-yard loss; Creech sack, 9-yard loss.

Special teams: Fitzgerald 4-for-4 PAT, missed 41-yard field goal; Johnson one punt for 52 yards.

JV score: West Hills 36, Chula Vista 7

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