Father Ryan beat Pope John Paul II 21-6 on Friday, Sept. 25, reclaiming the Bishop's Cup in the rivalry between the two Catholic high schools, as Main Street Media of Tennessee first reported.

The loss dropped the Hendersonville Knights to 1-5 on the season.

JPII trailed 7-0 before quarterback Hudson Holman found wide receiver Cole Anderson for a third-quarter touchdown that pulled the Knights within a point. The extra point failed, leaving the score at 7-6.

Father Ryan pulled away with two second-half touchdowns to close out the 21-6 win and take back the trophy the Knights had held since last season's 38-7 rout.

The Holman-to-Anderson connection has produced results in back-to-back weeks. On Saturday, Sept. 19, the duo connected for three first-half touchdowns in a 34-31 loss to Goodpasture. Against Father Ryan, their third-quarter score was the only points JPII managed all night.

The Knights' season has been a grind. After opening with a 14-49 loss to Lakeway Christian Academy on Aug. 21 and a 27-29 defeat to East Robertson on Aug. 28, JPII picked up its lone win Sept. 4 against Columbia Academy, 31-7. A 7-64 loss to Franklin Road Academy on Sept. 11 and the Goodpasture and Father Ryan defeats followed.

For Father Ryan (3-3), the Bishop's Cup win marked consecutive victories for the first time under head coach Zach Mettenberger, the former LSU quarterback who played two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. The Irish went 1-11 in Mettenberger's first year, according to the Nashville Post. Tyler Vrabel, son of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, serves as a volunteer assistant on Mettenberger's staff, according to The Tennessean.

Father Ryan announced on Sunday, Sept. 27, that it will leave Division II-AAA and play an independent, non-region schedule for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons, making the program ineligible for TSSAA playoffs during that stretch.