Messiah Dorsey is making touchdowns all over the field, senior leaders are stepping up following injuries and the Red Elephants are shutting down their opponents in the second half.

“I guess you could say Gainesville football is back,” Dorsey said with a smile.

Following a two-game skid with losses to Lanier and Clarke Central, Gainesville (5-3, 5-2 Region 8-AAAAA) got back to winning ways with a dominant 46-18 victory over Cedar Shoals on Friday night at City Park Stadium.

Dorsey (15 carries for 122 yards) ran for touchdowns from 56 and 4 yards out before tossing a 35-yard strike to Tae Turner that put the Red Elephants up 24-12 at halftime.

Gainesville later tacked on three more touchdowns in the second half to close out the Jaguars (1-7, 1-6).

Senior lineman Cole Handte and senior linebacker Demichael Borders, out with torn knee ligaments, each returned following short stints on the bench. Handte was instrumental in opening up big gaps for running back Chris Byrd (13 carries, 64 yards) to burst through, while Borders returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the third quarter.

“I thought we responded great,” said Gainesville coach Bruce Miller. “Now we’ve got to not be too satisfied with it. We’ll take 24 hours to celebrate this, and then we’re on to Loganville.”

The Red Elephants will next travel to Loganville to take on the Red Devils, (7-1, 6-1) who are currently second in the region behind undefeated No. 4 Lanier (7-0, 6-0). A win there can help secure Gainesville’s bid for an opening-round playoff game at home.

But the hopes would have been dashed without a win over the visiting Jaguars, who have won just one game since Nov. 8, 2013.

Cedar Shoals took 6-3 and 12-10 leads, thanks to long rushing scores by Jaivanni Mcdavid (seven carries for 47 yards) and Aaron Freeman (12 carries, 141 yards, 2 TDs).

But the Red Elephants responded by completing back-to-back scoring drives in just over three minutes. Dorsey rushed in from 4 yards to cap a 56-yard drive that lasted 1:56 and put Gainesville up by five.

Following a Cedar Shoals punt, Gainesville took the ball again on the Jaguars 36 with 2:56 left in the first half. Dorsey was sacked on his first pass attempt, which gave Gainesville a third-and-21 on the 35-yard line.

“I knew we just had to keep on pushing, and grind it all out,” said Dorsey. “We felt like if we could just move the ball like we were, we could do something.”

Dorsey (6-of-9, 104 passing yards, 1 passing TD) connected with Tae Turner streaking down the left sideline and into the end zone to give the Red Elephants a comfortable lead heading into the break.

Complementing a strong night returning punts and kickoffs, Turner snagged a 49-yard pass to open the second half. That set up Dorsey hitting Martavious Davis one play later for Gainesville’s third straight touchdown.

Turner also was named the 2015 Gainesville Homecoming King at halftime.

Kris Montague did well to get his paw on a Cedar Shoals punt in the third quarter, which allowed Borders to rush in from less than 10 yards out. Gainesville allowed Cedar Shoals just 83 total yards in the second half and sacked Jaguars quarterback Akeem Glenn four times.

“We didn’t get any sacks in the Clarke Central game, so I think they were hungry to get that done,” said Miller. “Getting them (Borders and Handte) back, that’s huge.”

Kadarius Smith scored Gainesville’s final touchdown in the fourth quarter, when he banged his way into the end zone from 2 yards out.

Senior safety Chris Lyles, who suffered a fracture in his left arm in the loss to Lanier, was back in the secondary after sitting out last week’s game against Clarke Central.

“I feel like all of the pieces are coming back to the puzzle,” said Borders. “We’re very confident.”

Gainesville backup quarterback Isaac Teasley came in for the final drive in the fourth quarter.

Miller now has 145 wins as the head coach of Gainesville. He could pick up win No. 150 if Gainesville makes the Class AAAAA semifinals this season.

Red Elephants 46, Jaguars 18

Stat that matters: Gainesville recorded 11 first downs in the first half, compared to Cedar Shoals’ three first downs.

Turning point: Messiah Dorsey turned a third-and-21 into a 35-yard passing touchdown to Tae Turner. That pushed Gainesville’s lead to 24-12 heading into halftime, and ruined any chance of a Cedar Shoals comeback.

Game changers: Tae Turner only had two catches on the night, but his two grabs (one for a touchdown, and one that set up a score) were more than enough to help Gainesville to a strong lead. Cole Handte also had a strong night coming back from injury, helping to open up holes for running back Chris Byrd and quarterback Messiah Dorsey to run through.

Next up: Gainesville next travels to Loganville Friday before finishing the season at home against Flowery Branch. Cedar Shoals next hosts Apalachee Friday before finishing the season at Salem.