Gainesville was locked in an offensive battle with Cedar Shoals until the Red Elephants were able to pull away and seal the win late in the fourth quarter on Friday in Athens.

“It was a tremendously hard fought game,” Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. “I thought (Cedar Shoals was) very athletic.”

Deshaun Watson carried the seventh-ranked Red Elephants on offense, going 24 for 38 with 234 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air. He also had 17 carries for 118 yards and three more scores, including one to finish a 33-yard, six-play drive in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

“Deshaun had another great night,” Miller said of his quarterback.

Watson completed two touchdown passes to Caleb Hayman, a 22-yard completion in the second quarter to open scoring, and a 10-yard reception at the end of the third quarter. Watson also connected with Michael Byrd on a 28-yard pass in the second quarter. But many of the Red Elephants’ scored were answered by Cedar Shoals.

“It seemed like every time we scored, they scored,” Miller said, “It just shows that in this region, there’s no easy team.”

Gainesville (5-1, 4-0 Region 8-AAAAA) travels to Salem next Friday in Conyers.