It was a wild night at West Hills High School’s Smurf field last Friday as the host Wolf Pack attempted to hold onto its undefeated record to start the season.
West Hills held a 33-26 lead with 9:07 to play in the fourth quarter but that was before Grossmont senior quarterback Tyler Holmes got his hands on the ball for two game-changing drives that produced a 14-point swing in the score.
Holmes and the visiting Foothillers prevailed by a touchdown, 40-33, to improve their own lofty record to 5-1.
The Wolf Pack fell to 4-1.
It was a battle of quarterbacks as Holmes passed for 138 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 139 yards and three scores to finish the night with 277 yards of total offense.
West Hills senior Evin Dill passed for 219 yards with two touchdowns and rushed 21 times for 85 yards and three touchdowns to conclude the game with 304 yards in total offense.
Both QBs accounted for five touchdowns for their respective teams.
Grossmont had trailed much of the game since the first quarter. But that changed quickly in the fourth quarter. Holmes engineered a two-play touchdown drive to put the Hillers ahead 34-33 with 8:33 to play. Holmes connected with senior Max Bewley (two catches, 61 yards) on the sideline for a big gain, then carried the ball in the final 19 yards and tacked on a two-point conversion run.
Holmes scored on a one-play drive from 39 yards out to go up by seven points with 5:56 remaining in regulation.
West Hills then moved the ball to the Grossmont one-yard line but fell back on fourth-and-six. Dill passed toward the end zone but Grossmont senior Jonah Yost broke up the play. Holmes finished the remaining 1:10 on the clock in victory formation.
The Hillers out-scored the Wolf Pack 22-6 in the second half.
