HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

With two weeks left in the regular season, rankings are becoming more important as teams jockey for seedings in the Southern Section playoffs.

Notre Dame (7-0-1), in Division III, and Westlake (7-1), in Division IV, vaulted to No. 1 in their respective divisions when top-ranked Lompoc and Peninsula were upset.

Defending Division XI champion St. Bonaventure (8-0) and Montclair Prep (8-0) in Division XII remain atop their rankings.

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Quarterbacks Demetre Booker of Antelope Valley and Terry Furlow of Palmdale are best friends and talk to each other several times a week on the telephone.

On Friday, their teams will meet for the Golden League championship at Palmdale.

The pair have no money bet on the game, but plenty of pride is at stake.

“If his team wins, I have to call him ‘The Man,’ ” Booker said. “If we win, he has to call me ‘The Man.’ ”

Booker and Furlow will be adversaries on the field, but they will have dinner together tonight. Booker insists he isn’t worried that his friend-opponent might slip something into his food.

“Nah,” he said. “We’re tight. He wouldn’t do something like that.”

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It’s been a difficult season for Littlerock (3-5, 1-2), which has advanced to the playoffs each of the last five seasons. The Lobos need a victory Friday against Lancaster (3-5, 1-2) to have a realistic shot at another berth.

But there have been some highlights.

Juan Wilson, a sophomore, began the season at free safety, was moved to strong safety, then to inside linebacker, and became the team’s leading tackler with 90.

Nose guard Jared Berg, 5-6 and 155 pounds, has become an unlikely force and is second in tackles with 80.

“I didn’t think I’d have a midget nose guard and an inside linebacker that moved from safety playing this well,” Coach Jim Bauer said.

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Jason Tompkins’ leg continues to boom.

The Frazier Mountain kicker-punter had field goals of 51 and 47 yards last week in a 19-8 High Desert League victory over Kern Valley, and also had a school-record 70-yard punt.

The long field goals are becoming routine for Tompkins. It was his punt that got the most attention after he eclipsed the school mark of 62 set by Jarudd Proser, now a Falcon assistant.

“[Jarudd] was a little disappointed after the game,” Coach Jason Fayter said.