8G4Q. It's a strange alphanumerical combination that might be hard to decipher for those outside the Little Rock Parkview locker room.
But the Patriots understood exactly what it meant before they headed out onto the turf at War Memorial Stadium Friday night: eight games, four quarters.
A deep postseason run would end at Parkview's home stadium -- state championship games will be played there in early December. After losing two of their first three conference games, though, the Patriots have a long way to go if they're going to even have a chance at playing for a title.
Parkview gave a little taste of what it's capable of, pounding Van Buren 33-3 at home in a 6A-West matchup. Arkansas commit James Jointer rushed 20 times for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Patriots limited the Pointers to just 12 yards of total offense in the second half -- Van Buren finished with 113 -- and kept the visitors from reaching the end zone at any point.
"We're excited about the win but I wouldn't say it's a statement game," Jointer said. "We know the potential this team has, so we've got to get back to work. ... Most people would think, 'Oh, it's a 30-point win.' That's not our expectation. Our coaches have higher expectations for us, so we're not jumping up and down."
With quarterback Jaylon White resting, sophomore Eric McGehee made his starting debut, but Parkview (4-3, 2-2) was sure not to ask too much of the youngster. Jointer carried the ball seven times on the opening drive, rushing for 52 yards and a 3-yard score to make it 7-0.
Van Buren (4-3, 1-3) then put together a methodical 10-play drive, capping it with a 37-yard field goal.
But from the start, it was clear the Pointers were going to be searching for answers under center. Sophomore Bryce Perkins fractured his collarbone two weeks ago against Russellville and spent Friday on the sideline in a sling. Connor Brady, who helped fill in for Perkins against the Cyclones, wasn't on the field against the Patriots.
So the task fell pretty much solely to sophomore Clark Seeger. And while wideout Malachi Henry took some snaps in more of a wildcat role, Van Buren needed Seeger to push the ball downfield as the Pointers played catch-up most of the night.
"I don't know if there's a roster better than theirs," Pointers Coach Crosby Tuck said of Parkview. "I thought we played really hard, but you mix it in with missing six offensive starters, including your top two quarterbacks, it is what it is, to some degree."
Patriots freshman Omarion Robinson -- one of a dozen freshmen who Coach Brad Bolding called up for the first time Friday -- picked off Seeger, taking it back 50 yards for the score to make it 14-3 midway through the second quarter.
Parkview then capitalized on another Van Buren turnover just more than a minute later. After falling on a Seeger fumble, McGehee hit senior Jalon Smith for a 20-yard touchdown reception, making it 20-3 at the break and putting the Patriots to cruise to a comfortable win.
Bolding wanted to see his team win, yes. The Patriots were coming off consecutive losses -- albeit against tough conference foes in Lake Hamilton and Benton.
He also expects his team to play all four quarters, especially if they're going to play in all eight of those final games.
Friday was the start of that run, but Bolding believes his Parkview team can give even more.
"We respect everybody," Bolding said. "We have to be more disciplined and clean up the little things that shouldn't be happening right now. We've got to fix those and we'll be alright."