Defense travels: Wolf Pack stop Barons

By Ramon Scott
Updated: August 29, 2026

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

WEST HILLS 20, BONITA VISTA 10

Dill produces 280 yards, Varela-Ugalde breaks out and Lee-Fields leads second straight complete victory

By Ramon Scott

EastCountySports.com

CHULA VISTA — The explosive plays gave West Hills the lead.

The Wolf Pack defense made certain it never changed hands again.

Senior quarterback Evin Dill completed 17 of 22 passes for 231 yards, junior Rene Varela-Ugalde caught six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, and West Hills shut out Bonita Vista over the final three quarters of a 20-10 road victory Friday night.

The Wolf Pack accumulated 424 yards of total offense, intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and blocked a kick while improving to 2-0 for the first time since 2022.

Bonita Vista scored 10 points during the opening quarter, briefly taking the lead after turning a West Hills fumble into a field goal. The Barons did not score again.

Senior E.J. Lee-Fields delivered one of the most complete performances of the night, rushing seven times for 74 yards, leading the defense with 15 tackles, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble.

Senior Seth Creech recorded six tackles, recovered a fumble, and the Wolf Pack’s only sack. Zach Waters and Enzo Magnarelli added six tackles apiece, Adan Torres made five, and Scotty Miller and Marcus Leath contributed four each.

Leath also forced a fumble, while senior Mike Ware blocked a kick.

It amounted to another convincing defensive performance by a team that has allowed only 23 points through two games.

West Hills opened the scoring with a methodical first possession.

Lee-Fields broke loose down the right side from the Bonita Vista 46 and carried the ball inside the 5-yard line. Junior Evan Dorris completed the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, and Fenix Fitzgerald added the conversion for a 7-0 lead with 8:55 remaining in the first quarter.

Bonita Vista answered with the one play that prevented the Wolf Pack from completely controlling the opening half.

Running back Tavyon Moore converted a fourth-and-3 and then broke through the defense for a 44-yard touchdown run with 6:04 remaining.

The run represented a dramatic improvement for a Bonita Vista offense that had managed only 20 rushing yards on 25 carries during its season-opening 28-0 loss to Eastlake.

The Barons soon created another opportunity when a West Hills receiver had the ball jarred loose by a hard hit immediately after making a catch. Bonita Vista recovered and converted the turnover into a field goal, taking a 10-7 lead.

West Hills responded before the game could begin following the same script as its difficult South Bay trips of previous seasons.

Dill stood in the pocket, accepted a hit and delivered a pass down the middle to Varela-Ugalde, who completed a 54-yard touchdown reception. The conversion attempt failed, but West Hills regained the lead 13-10 with 9:20 remaining in the second quarter.

The connection was the beginning of a breakout night for Varela-Ugalde.

Later in the quarter, Dill completed a 21-yard pass to Zach Waters before finding Varela-Ugalde on a middle screen. The junior accelerated through the defense for a 33-yard gain to the Bonita Vista 5.

Dill finished the drive with a quarterback sneak, extending the Wolf Pack’s advantage to 20-10 before halftime.

West Hills did not score in the second half, but it did not need to.

The Wolf Pack repeatedly kept Bonita Vista from establishing another sustained drive, controlling the final two quarters with a defense that received production at every level.

Lee-Fields supplied the night’s biggest statistical performance, but the work around him prevented the Barons from concentrating on any single defender. Creech applied pressure, Waters and Magnarelli helped contain the middle, and the secondary prevented Bonita Vista from finding the downfield play needed to change the game.

West Hills finished with 63 total tackles, a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery and the blocked kick.

The defense’s ability to finish represented another significant step forward.

West Hills held Chula Vista to seven points for most of its season-opening 28-13 victory before allowing a 70-yard touchdown reception with 1:25 remaining. Against Bonita Vista, the Wolf Pack did not permit even a late consolation score.

The offensive numbers also demonstrated that West Hills is becoming more than a defense-supported team.

Dill accounted for 280 yards of total offense, adding 49 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries to his 231 passing yards. He completed passes to seven receivers and was not intercepted.

Lee-Fields averaged 10.6 yards per rushing attempt, Leath gained 38 yards on two carries and Varela-Ugalde finished with 143 yards from scrimmage.

Junior Chuck Rosolino made six receptions for 28 yards, giving Dill a reliable underneath option while the Bonita Vista defense attempted to limit Varela-Ugalde’s explosive plays. Jacob Timmerman, Evan Garrett, Dorris and Lee-Fields also made receptions.

The Wolf Pack rushed for 193 yards, passed for 231 and averaged 6 yards on 32 carries. West Hills had averaged only 14.1 points last season, but it has now scored 48 points through two games while developing multiple ways to move the football.

That balance should become important immediately.

Two-way impact: Lee-Fields does nearly everything

Few players influenced Friday’s game in more areas than E.J. Lee-Fields.

The senior produced 81 yards from scrimmage, including a 74-yard rushing performance that helped establish West Hills’ opening touchdown drive.

Defensively, Lee-Fields recorded five solo tackles and 10 assists, leading the Wolf Pack with 15 total stops. He also made the game’s only interception and recovered a fumble.

Through two games, Lee-Fields has emerged as one of the primary reasons West Hills looks considerably more complete than it did early last season. He provides a physical running option behind Dill, can contribute in the passing game and remains one of the defense’s central playmakers.

Breakout performance: Varela-Ugalde stretches the field

West Hills completed only nine passes during its opener, but four went for touchdowns.

Against Bonita Vista, the passing attack displayed far greater consistency.

Dill’s 77.3-percent completion rate represented a substantial improvement from the opener, and Varela-Ugalde gave him a target capable of converting routine completions into major gains.

The junior caught six passes for 141 yards, averaging 23.5 yards per reception. His 54-yard touchdown restored West Hills’ lead, and his 33-yard middle-screen reception created Dill’s rushing touchdown.

Through two games, Varela-Ugalde leads the Wolf Pack with 12 receptions for 141 yards, while Dill has accounted for 483 yards of total offense.

Defensive identity becoming difficult to ignore

West Hills has allowed three touchdowns through two games, but two came on plays covering at least 44 yards.

Outside of those breakdowns, the Wolf Pack defense has been extremely difficult to move consistently.

Chula Vista rushed for only 36 yards on 21 attempts in the opener. Bonita Vista scored on Moore’s 44-yard run and a field goal created by a turnover, then went scoreless for the remainder of Friday’s game.

Creech has recorded a sack in each of the first two games. Lee-Fields’ interception gave West Hills a takeaway for the second consecutive week, and Ware’s blocked kick added another special-teams contribution.

The Wolf Pack will face more explosive offenses later in the season, but the early evidence is becoming substantial: West Hills can defend the run, create negative plays and protect a lead.

By the numbers

424: West Hills’ total offensive yards.
231: Passing yards by Dill.
193: Wolf Pack rushing yards.
141: Receiving yards by Varela-Ugalde.
15: Tackles by Lee-Fields.
10: Bonita Vista points, all during the first quarter.
0: Points allowed by West Hills over the final three quarters.
2-0: West Hills’ record, its best start since 2023.

Next: Another unbeaten opponent comes to Santee

West Hills returns home Friday to face Mira Mesa (2-0) at 7 p.m. in a matchup between unbeaten teams.

The Marauders defeated Hoover 20-14 Friday after opening their season with a victory over Castle in Hawaii.

Quarterback Antonio Giusti passed for 275 yards and a touchdown against Hoover and scored the decisive touchdown on a late quarterback sneak. Running back Marques “Juju” Salmond scored on an 18-yard run during the second half, while Giusti connected with Brown for a 53-yard gain that helped create the score.

Salmond gives Mira Mesa a featured rushing threat after entering the matchup averaging 168 yards, while Giusti’s performance against Hoover showed the Marauders can win through the air when opponents concentrate on the running game.

The game also gives West Hills an opportunity to reverse another result from its difficult start last season.

Mira Mesa defeated the Wolf Pack 10-7 in Santee, dropping West Hills to 0-3. The Wolf Pack eventually recovered and played much better football during the second half of the season, but their postseason margin for error had already become extremely small.

One year later, the circumstances have changed completely.

West Hills will enter the rematch at 2-0, averaging 24 points and 349 yards while allowing 11.5 points per game. Mira Mesa also arrives unbeaten, averaging 25.5 points after demonstrating that it can win both away from home and in a close fourth-quarter game.

Last season’s meeting reflected two teams searching for traction.

Friday’s rematch will feature two teams attempting to establish themselves as early-season contenders.