Holmes leads Hillers back to beat Pack

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

No. 18 GROSSMONT 40, No. 26 WEST HILLS 33

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SANTEE — Tyler Holmes needed two fourth-quarter carries to turn a seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead. Grossmont still needed one more answer from its defense.

Jonah Yost supplied it.

With West Hills threatening to rescue its unbeaten season, Yost recovered in coverage and broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Chuck Rosolino, finishing a goal-line stand that preserved the Foothillers’ 40-33 victory Friday night.

A matchup between teams that arrived with a combined 8-1 record delivered a quarterback duel, a 15-point comeback and a finish that remained unsettled until the final minute.

Grossmont (5-1) won its second straight game and moved ahead 17-16 in the schools’ all-time series. West Hills (4-1) came within a yard of a touchdown that could have brought an entirely different ending.

Holmes passed for 181 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 138 yards and three scores. His 319 yards of total offense and five touchdowns gave Grossmont the production it needed to withstand an equally busy evening from West Hills quarterback Evin Dill.

Dill completed 15 of 18 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, adding 85 yards and three scores on 21 carries. He accounted for all five West Hills touchdowns and 304 yards of offense.

The quarterbacks kept finding ways to change the game. In the end, Grossmont’s defense found a way to close it.

Two carries turn the fourth quarter

West Hills carried a 27-26 lead into the fourth quarter, then extended it to 33-26 with 9:07 remaining. Grossmont blocked the extra point, its second PAT block of the night.

The Foothillers answered in just 34 seconds.

Holmes took a handoff while moving across the formation and delivered a pass to Max Bewley near the sideline, helping set up a two-play touchdown drive. Holmes finished it with a 19-yard run, then carried in the two-point conversion to put Grossmont ahead 34-33 with 8:33 left.

It was the Foothillers’ first lead since the opening quarter.

His next rushing attempt produced another touchdown. Holmes broke loose for 39 yards on a one-play scoring possession with 5:56 remaining. The conversion failed, leaving Grossmont ahead by seven.

West Hills still had an answer in progress.

The Wolf Pack worked their way to first-and-goal at the Grossmont 1. After spending much of the evening chasing Dill and his receivers, the Foothillers protected the last yard, forcing West Hills backward and into fourth-and-goal from the 6.

Rosolino briefly found an opening after the initial fake, but Yost recovered to break up Dill’s throw. Grossmont took over with about 1:10 remaining, and Holmes returned to the field to take a knee.

The Foothillers allowed only six second-half points, recovered a fumble after intermission and outscored West Hills 22-6 over the final two quarters.

Wolf Pack make the early terms

For much of the first half, West Hills had the game it wanted.

Grossmont struck first on Corbin Dow’s 12-yard touchdown run, but the Foothillers missed the two-point conversion. West Hills answered with two first-quarter touchdowns to lead 13-6.

The Wolf Pack’s defense contributed to the early advantage, stopping Holmes on a fourth-and-3 attempt deep in Grossmont territory late in the opening quarter.

West Hills converted a fourth down of its own during the ensuing possession and stretched the lead to 20-6 with 10:22 remaining in the half.

Grossmont received an immediate lift from a 66-yard kickoff return that put the ball at the Wolf Pack 9. West Hills applied pressure, including a sack, before Holmes scored on a 7-yard run. Another failed conversion left Grossmont trailing 20-12.

The Wolf Pack then made Grossmont wait for its next possession.

A 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive consumed more than seven minutes, ending with Dill’s scoring pass to Adan Torres. Torres split the coverage and adjusted back toward the ball for a difficult catch over the middle.

West Hills led 27-12 with 1:19 remaining before halftime, having scored on all four of its first-half possessions.

That was enough time for Holmes to keep the Foothillers within reach.

His 44-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ficorola with 21 seconds remaining cut the deficit to 27-18. Grossmont again failed on the conversion, but the late touchdown prevented West Hills from carrying its full 15-point cushion into intermission.

Holmes added a 22-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and ran in the conversion, bringing Grossmont within 27-26 with 3:47 remaining.

From there, the two quarterbacks traded fourth-quarter answers until the game finally belonged to the defense.

Plenty to carry forward for West Hills

The first loss did little to diminish the difficulty of preparing for Ash’s offense.

West Hills produced 401 yards, using Dill’s running ability and a passing game that distributed completions among seven receivers.

Rene Varela Ugalde led the Wolf Pack with five catches for 88 yards. Rosolino caught four passes, while Torres and E.J. Lee-Fields each had a touchdown reception.

West Hills also got 32 rushing yards on two carries from Xavier Moffatt, 24 from Lee-Fields and 22 from Marcus Leath.

The Wolf Pack had entered the game having allowed only 52 points in four outings. Grossmont tested that defense in ways its earlier opponents had not, but West Hills’ early stops and sustained first-half offense put the home team in position to win.

Lee-Fields led West Hills with 10 tackles. Zach Waters had nine tackles, including two for losses, and shared a sack with Scott Miller. Enzo Magnarelli added eight tackles and Seth Creech had seven.

West Hills begins Grossmont Valley League play against El Cajon Valley next Friday. A late September nonleague loss leaves its league ambitions intact.

The points between the touchdowns

Both teams scored six points at a time often enough to make the conversion plays especially consequential.

Grossmont scored six touchdowns and went 2-for-6 on two-point attempts. Holmes ran in both successful conversions — one to cut the deficit to a point in the third quarter, the other to take a one-point lead in the fourth.

West Hills scored five touchdowns. Fenix Fitzgerald made three of five extra-point attempts, with Grossmont blocking the other two.

The second block kept the Wolf Pack’s fourth-quarter lead at seven. Grossmont’s next touchdown and conversion therefore produced a lead instead of a tie.

A demanding start to Hills League play

Grossmont takes consecutive victories into its Grossmont Hills League opener at Granite Hills next Friday.

The Foothillers followed a 54-45 victory over Otay Ranch with another 40-point performance, scoring 94 points across the two wins. This time, their defense supplied a much stronger second half and the decisive final stop.

The schedule now brings Granite Hills, Helix and Steele Canyon in succession.

Friday’s comeback gave Anthony Lawrence’s team evidence it can recover from a difficult start. The next stretch will test how consistently it can play at the level it reached after halftime in Santee.

Tyler Holmes led Grossmont with 319 yards of total offense and five touchdowns, passing for 181 yards and two scores while rushing for 138 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran in both of the Foothillers’ successful two-point conversions.

West Hills quarterback Evin Dill completed 15 of 18 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, adding 85 rushing yards and three scores. Rene Varela Ugalde led his receivers with five catches for 88 yards, while Adan Torres and E. Lee-Fields caught touchdown passes. The Wolf Pack finished with 401 total yards, including 182 rushing.

Lee-Fields paced West Hills with 10 tackles. Zach Waters added nine, including two for losses, and shared a sack with Scott Miller.

Up next: League openers bring different tests

Grossmont (5-1) visits Granite Hills (3-2) on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. to open Grossmont Hills League play. The Foothillers carry consecutive victories and 94 points over their last two games into a matchup with an Eagles team looking to respond to its 42-21 loss to Cathedral Catholic.

Holmes’ ability to produce through the air and on the ground gives Grossmont multiple ways to challenge the Eagles, with Corbin Dow providing another rushing threat.

But the Foothillers will need more of the defense they showed after halftime at West Hills against a Granite Hills offense featuring quarterback Zachary Benitez, running back Gage Spalding and receiver Courtney “Nino” Miller-Thompson. The Eagles pulled within 28-21 against Cathedral before the Dons scored the final two touchdowns.

For Grossmont, the opener begins a demanding sequence of Granite Hills, Helix and Steele Canyon.

West Hills (4-1) hosts El Cajon Valley (2-3), also Friday at 7 p.m., in its Grossmont Valley League opener. The Wolf Pack’s unbeaten start is gone, but the league race begins with a clean slate.

Dill’s dual-threat production and an offense that generated 401 yards against Grossmont give West Hills plenty to build upon.

The Braves bring a passing attack led by TJ Ibrahimi and Amir Miller, making coverage and pressure important assignments for a Wolf Pack defense coming off its toughest scoring test of the season.

West Hills’ running game offers a way to sustain possessions and limit opportunities for that combination. The teams’ common opponent provides some perspective: El Cajon Valley lost at Hilltop, while West Hills escaped with a 27-20 overtime victory.

After letting a fourth-quarter lead slip away Friday, finishing drives — and finishing the game — will carry added importance for the Wolf Pack.

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