Plenty was at stake Friday night in the Eastern League football game between South Gate and Garfield at South Gate High. First place was on the line, as well as positioning in the Los Angeles City Section playoff race.

Garfield looked lethargic for long stretches, but figured things out when it mattered most. The end result was a 23-19 victory for the Bulldogs, a result that will probably shake things up once new rankings are released next week.

South Gate (6-2, 3-1), led by senior running back Lavell Thompson, came in ranked No. 1 in Division II, with Chatsworth, Sylmar and a few others attempting to chase the Rams down.

The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-0), meanwhile, are attempting to keep pace in Division I with Harbor City Narbonne, Los Angeles Crenshaw, Carson and San Pedro, to name a few.

"This was one of the best teams we'll play all season, we gave them our best shot and proved we can compete with the best in the City Section, it doesn't matter the division," said Thompson, who finished with 171 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

In fact, the Rams scored 19 unanswered points to take a 19-8 lead before Garfield responded. Bulldogs quarterback Stevie Williams directed a scoring drive, Jordan Palmer intercepted a pass and Franki Robles scored on runs of 10 yards and one yard to give Garfield a 23-19 lead with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter.

"This was a statement game for us, we had something to prove, giving up was not an option, and now, I think everyone knows we're for real," said Williams, who finished with 202 all-purpose yards, passed for a touchdown and a two-point conversion, and also intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

In search of rhythm in the second half, South Gate turned to Thompson. He picked up 44 yards on one drive to set up Terrell Goins' three-yard touchdown run. Then, Thompson scored on a 22-yard run to extend the lead to 19-8 with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.

Garfield had started out with a sense of urgency. The Bulldogs got a safety, then Williams threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Serrano for an 8-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first quarter.

It took a while for South Gate to put the ball in the hands of its workhorse, but once the Rams decided to do so, the results were instant — Thompson scored on a 26-yard run to cut the deficit to 8-6 with 6:29 left in the second quarter.