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Overtime win gives Pack 4-0 start
- Updated: September 12, 2026
West Hills' Evan Dorris
2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL
West Hills 27, Hilltop 20 (OT)
PERFECT PACK: DORRIS’ OT TD, DEFENSIVE STAND LIFT WEST HILLS
By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com
CHULA VISTA — West Hills had already shown it could win with defense, control the football with its running game and lean on the versatility of quarterback Evin Dill.
Friday night, the Wolf Pack showed they could survive just about everything else.
Evan Dorris scored the go-ahead touchdown on West Hills’ first possession of overtime, then the Wolf Pack defense turned away Hilltop near the goal line to preserve a 27-20 victory and a perfect 4-0 start.
It took nearly everything West Hills had.
The Wolf Pack overcame multiple deficits, an interception, an 80-yard Hilltop touchdown and two missed field goals. They missed a 32-yard attempt that could have won the game at the end of regulation, then appeared to have Hilltop stopped on fourth down in overtime only to have a penalty give the Lancers another opportunity.
West Hills still found a way.
After regulation ended 20-20, the Wolf Pack went back to the ground game on their first overtime possession.
Dorris finished it.
The junior running back scored off the left side, and Brady Koerner converted the extra point for a 27-20 advantage.
Then it belonged to the defense.
Hilltop took several shots at the end zone on its answering possession. West Hills appeared to have the game won when pressure forced an incomplete pass on fourth down, but a penalty against the Wolf Pack extended the series.
The Lancers moved near the 5-yard line and briefly lost the football on a running play before recovering their own fumble. After an injury delay, Hilltop went back to the air.
A pass to the right side fell incomplete.
One final throw went toward the end zone.
Incomplete again.
Ballgame.
The finish was fitting for a West Hills defense that has been the backbone of the Wolf Pack’s unbeaten start.
Senior Scott Miller led West Hills with 10 tackles and two sacks, while Enzo Magnarelli recorded nine tackles.
Zach Waters was everywhere. The senior finished with seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack, while Seth Creech added four tackles and a sack.
West Hills finished with four sacks for 22 yards in losses and seven tackles for loss.
The Wolf Pack needed all of it because Hilltop refused to go away.
The Lancers struck first when Octavio Bonilla scored on a short keeper, and the extra point gave Hilltop a 7-0 advantage.
West Hills answered before the opening quarter was finished.
After a big play moved the Wolf Pack deep into Lancers territory, Dill used play action, rolled to his right and found Waters open in the end zone.
The 19-yard touchdown pass tied the game following Koerner’s extra point.
It was Waters’ only reception of the night, but the two-way senior made it count.
West Hills also received an important contribution from its kicking game.
Koerner, who had not handled the Wolf Pack’s place-kicking duties during the first three games, was called upon Friday and supplied nine points, converting all three extra points and making two of four field-goal attempts.
Junior Fenix Fitzgerald had handled the kicking during West Hills’ 3-0 start, making 8 of 9 extra points and 1 of 5 field-goal attempts, with a long of 30 yards.
Whatever prompted the change Friday, Koerner immediately extended West Hills’ demonstrated range.
He connected on a 44-yard field goal during the first half, helping the Wolf Pack take a 10-7 advantage.
Hilltop’s defense prevented West Hills from gaining control of the game, however. The Lancers intercepted Dill to stop one Wolf Pack possession, while Koerner also missed another attempt from 44 yards.
Then Hilltop produced the game’s most explosive scoring play.
In the third quarter, the Lancers broke loose on an 80-yard touchdown reception. The extra point was missed, but Hilltop had suddenly jumped back in front, 13-10.
Dill responded.
The senior quarterback finished a West Hills possession with a 1-yard touchdown sneak, and Koerner’s extra point pushed the Wolf Pack ahead, 17-13.
Hilltop answered again.
The Lancers broke an 18-yard touchdown run and converted the PAT to regain the lead, 20-17.
West Hills needed another response.
This time, Koerner provided it.
The Wolf Pack drove inside the Hilltop 10 before an RPO exchange nearly became disastrous. Dill attempted to pull the football from the handoff, lost control and had to fall on it.
West Hills salvaged the possession when Koerner converted from 27 yards, tying the game at 20.
The Wolf Pack defense then gave the offense one final opportunity to win it in regulation.
West Hills recorded a late sack, forced Hilltop to punt and moved back into scoring position.
Koerner came on for a 32-yard potential game-winner.
No good.
Overtime.
The miss didn’t linger.
Dorris scored on the Wolf Pack’s next possession, Koerner knocked through his third PAT, and the defense finished the job.
While the dramatic finish will be remembered, West Hills’ rushing numbers help explain how the Wolf Pack continually worked their way back into the game.
West Hills rushed for 276 yards on 35 carries, an average of 7.9 yards per attempt.
The revelation was Marcus Leath.
The junior carried only seven times but erupted for 136 yards, averaging a remarkable 19.4 yards per carry. Leath also caught two passes for 22 yards, finishing with a team-high 158 yards from scrimmage.
Dill rushed 14 times for 88 yards and a touchdown while completing 10 of 17 passes for 111 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
That gave the senior quarterback 199 yards of total offense and a hand in two of West Hills’ three touchdowns.
Rene Varela-Ugalde added 18 rushing yards and led the Wolf Pack receivers with 37 yards on two catches. Chuck Rosolino caught three passes for 19 yards, Leath had two for 22, Evan Garrett added a 10-yard reception and E.J. Lee-Fields caught one pass for four yards.
West Hills finished with 387 yards of total offense.
It wasn’t a clean victory.
It may have been one of the Wolf Pack’s most useful.
West Hills had beaten Chula Vista, Bonita Vista and previously unbeaten Mira Mesa to reach 3-0. Against Hilltop, the Wolf Pack encountered a different kind of test — one in which the opponent landed big plays, regained leads and repeatedly forced West Hills to answer.
The Wolf Pack answered every time.
And when one final answer was required in overtime, the defense supplied it.
Four games. Four victories.
Now West Hills gets a week to recover.
When the Wolf Pack returns, an old East County opponent will be waiting.
WOLF PACK BY THE NUMBERS
WEST HILLS (4-0)
Total offense: 387 yards
Rushing: 35 carries, 276 yards, 2 TD
Passing: 10-of-17, 111 yards, TD, INT
Sacks: 4 for 22 yards
Tackles for loss: 7
Evin Dill: 14-88 rushing, TD; 10-of-17 passing, 111 yards, TD, INT; 199 total yards
Marcus Leath: 7-136 rushing; 2-22 receiving; 158 yards from scrimmage
Evan Dorris: 7-26 rushing, game-winning OT TD
Rene Varela-Ugalde: 3-18 rushing; 2-37 receiving
Zach Waters: 19-yard TD reception; 7 tackles, 3 TFL, sack
Scott Miller: 10 tackles, 2 sacks
Enzo Magnarelli: 9 tackles
E.J. Lee-Fields: 6 tackles
Seth Creech: 4 tackles, sack
Brady Koerner: 3-for-3 PATs; 2-for-4 FGs (44, 27); 9 points
HOW THEY SCORED
HILLTOP 7, WEST HILLS 0 — Octavio Bonilla short TD keeper; PAT good.
7-7 — Evin Dill 19-yard TD pass to Zach Waters; Brady Koerner PAT.
WEST HILLS 10, HILLTOP 7 — Koerner 44-yard field goal.
HILLTOP 13, WEST HILLS 10 — 80-yard TD pass; PAT no good.
WEST HILLS 17, HILLTOP 13 — Dill 1-yard TD sneak; Koerner PAT.
HILLTOP 20, WEST HILLS 17 — 18-yard TD run; PAT good.
20-20 — Koerner 27-yard field goal.
END REGULATION — Koerner 32-yard potential game-winning field goal no good.
WEST HILLS 27, HILLTOP 20 (OT) — Evan Dorris rushing TD; Koerner PAT.
KOERNER ANSWERS THE CALL
One of the most interesting developments in West Hills’ fourth victory came from a player who hadn’t handled the Wolf Pack’s place-kicking duties through the first three weeks.
Brady Koerner accounted for nine points against Hilltop, making all three PATs while connecting on field goals from 44 and 27 yards.
Junior Fenix Fitzgerald had handled the kicking during the Wolf Pack’s first three games, converting 8 of 9 PATs and 1 of 5 field-goal attempts, with a long of 30 yards.
Koerner’s 44-yarder therefore represented a significant expansion of the field-goal range West Hills had demonstrated this season.
It wasn’t a perfect night. Koerner missed another 44-yard attempt and then had a chance to end the game in regulation from 32 yards but couldn’t convert.
What happened next may have mattered just as much.
After Dorris scored in overtime, Koerner returned for the PAT and converted it, forcing Hilltop to score a touchdown and extra point merely to extend the game.
The Wolf Pack defense made sure that never happened.
TWO-WAY WATERS MAKES HIS MARK
Zach Waters needed only one reception to affect the West Hills offense.
The senior tight end caught Dill’s 19-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, getting behind the Hilltop defense after Dill sold the play action and rolled right.
Then Waters went back to work on the other side of the football.
He finished with seven tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack, giving him one of the most complete two-way performances of the night.
His sack was part of a West Hills pass rush that produced four sacks, with Scott Miller collecting two and Seth Creech adding another.
LEATH PROVIDES THE EXPLOSIVE ELEMENT
The box score contains one number Grossmont will notice immediately.
Marcus Leath: seven carries, 136 yards.
That’s 19.4 yards per attempt.
Leath didn’t score, but he repeatedly gave West Hills the explosive-play component that can transform an offense built around Dill’s versatility and a deep collection of running backs.
Add two receptions for 22 yards and Leath finished with 158 yards from scrimmage on only nine offensive touches — 17.6 yards every time he got the football.
Through four games, West Hills has shown it doesn’t necessarily need one featured running back.
Against Hilltop, Leath showed what can happen when one member of that committee gets loose.
NEXT UP: THE BYE, THEN GROSSMONT
West Hills couldn’t have entered its bye in better shape.
The Wolf Pack are 4-0 and will have an open week before returning home to face Grossmont on Sept. 25.
The game is classified as nonleague under the current Grossmont Conference alignment, with Grossmont competing in the Hills League and West Hills in the Valley.
The history between the schools makes the label almost irrelevant. West Hills and Grossmont have split 32 previous meetings, 16 victories apiece.
That means meeting No. 33 will break the all-time tie.
The series dates to 1989, when Grossmont defeated the young West Hills program 65-8. The Wolf Pack responded with a 16-14 victory the following season and eventually controlled much of the rivalry during the 1990s and early 2000s.
One season stands above the others.
In 2004, West Hills routed Grossmont 41-10 during the regular season. The Foothillers got another opportunity in the CIF playoffs and reversed the result, defeating the Wolf Pack 23-15 to eliminate their East County rival.
The balance later swung toward Grossmont, including Foothillers victories of 45-0 in 2010, 48-6 in 2013, 48-14 in 2016, 42-0 in 2017 and 44-3 in 2020.
More recently, West Hills won 24-6 in 2022 and 29-18 in 2023, before Grossmont answered with a 48-27 victory in 2025.
Now comes another one.
West Hills will have the bye week to prepare while Grossmont plays Otay Ranch before making the trip to Santee.
Whatever the standings or league designation say by then, the historical numbers provide their own storyline:
GROSSMONT 16, WEST HILLS 16.
Meeting No. 33 is for the series lead.
GROSSMONT-WEST HILLS: SERIES SNAPSHOT
All-time: Tied, 16-16
1989: Grossmont 65, West Hills 8
1990: West Hills 16, Grossmont 14
1993: West Hills 28, Grossmont 26
2004: West Hills 41, Grossmont 10
2004 CIF playoffs: Grossmont 23, West Hills 15
2006: Grossmont 17, West Hills 12
2007: West Hills 19, Grossmont 0
2008: West Hills 38, Grossmont 30
2010: Grossmont 45, West Hills 0
2013: Grossmont 48, West Hills 6
2017: Grossmont 42, West Hills 0
2020: Grossmont 44, West Hills 3
2022: West Hills 24, Grossmont 6
2023: West Hills 29, Grossmont 18
2025: Grossmont 48, West Hills 27
NEXT: Sept. 25, 2026 — Grossmont at West Hills
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