For the first three games of his senior season, Gainesville’s leading receiver Tai-ler Jones has been held in check.

Apparently he was saving his best game of the year for North Hall.

Jones scored two touchdowns in the game’s first six minutes, including a 47-yard fumble recovery on North Hall’s opening possession, leading the top-ranked Red Elephants (4-0) to a 55-12 win over the Trojans (1-2) on Friday at City Park.

"I can’t really explain it ... our offense just clicked," Jones said of his breakout night. "Our game plans changed up a little bit this week and I found the holes in the defense."

He also found them on special teams, but unfortunately for Jones, his 58-yard punt return for a touchdown that came the second time he touched the ball was negated by a holding call.

"That would have been my first in high school and it got called back," Jones said. "It kind of made me sad."

He cheered up quickly by catching a 39-yard touchdown pass from Blake Sims on Gainesville’s second play from scrimmage.

Red Elephants coach Bruce Miller was glad to see his star receiver have a great night.

"I just think it was one of those things that he got out of that rut and got rolling, and kept rolling," he said. "In a big ballgame, big-time players make big-time plays."

That was the case with Jones, who rolled to his third touchdown in the third quarter by making a nice over the shoulder catch for a 7-yard score.

Jones caught a 52-yard bomb from Sims near the end of the third for his fourth and final touchdown.

"We wanted to prove that we’re worthy of being No. 1 and that we have the explosive offense that we’re known for," Jones said.

Defending the No. 1 ranking provided a little motivation, but playing against their rivals is what made Gainesville play, what Miller called "the most complete game" so far this year.

"It’s a big rivalry game and it makes you want to go the extra mile," Jones said.

Jones wasn’t the only one getting in on the scoring. Daunte Carr caught his first touchdown as a Red Elephant in the second quarter. Carr’s touchdown, which came with no time on the clock after an offensive penalty at the end of the quarter, capped a perfect 6-for-6 passing start from Sims.

The Alabama verbal commitment finished 14-of-21 for 275 yards passing and accounted for four touchdowns. Yet he was most proud of a block on Teryan Rucker’s 90-yard touchdown reception from Tyson Smith in the fourth quarter.

"That’s better than a touchdown for me," Sims said of the block.

While that touchdown emphatically ended the scoring barrage, the Red Elephants were tested early by North Hall’s patented Wing-T offense.

North Hall answered Jones’ second touchdown in the first quarter when Nathan Jones connected on a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ben Booth to cut the deficit to eight. The Trojans found the end zone again in the second quarter when Robert Humphrey scored on a 1-yard run.

"Our defense struggled a little bit early on, but we made some adjustments to start the second half," Miller said.

Gainesville needed no adjustment on offense because all it had to do was get the ball in the hands of Jones, who only had one touchdown prior to the game.

"This year, I said to myself that I’m going to help my team in any which way I can," Jones said. And he picked the perfect night to do it.