Pope John Paul II handed Grace Christian Academy its first loss of the season Friday, Oct. 2, winning 28-10 on the road in a DII-AA Middle Region game.

The Knights entered the matchup on a three-game skid. GCA came in at 6-0, riding the arm of sophomore quarterback Carter Pray, who ranked sixth in Tennessee in passing yards with 1,534 through Week 6, according to MaxPreps.

JPII jumped ahead early and took a 14-10 lead into halftime. GCA scored with 25 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the deficit to four, according to a halftime report from the Triple Threat Sportscast.

The Lions never got closer. JPII outscored GCA 14-0 in the second half to pull away for the 28-10 final, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee.

The victory gives coach Roc Batten's squad its second win of the 2026 season and ends a slide that included a 21-6 loss to Father Ryan in Week 6, according to the Williamson Herald. The Williamson Herald had previewed the matchup as "another big DII-AA Middle Region" contest, with GCA favored after its dominant start.

For GCA, the loss breaks a pattern. The Lions had matched their 2025 start by going 6-0 through the same stretch last season, the Williamson Herald reported. They now enter the second half of the schedule with their first defeat.

The win carries extra weight for the Hendersonville school. JPII held Pray and the GCA offense to just 10 points after the sophomore quarterback had helped lead the Lions to six consecutive victories, including a 30-12 road win over Davidson Academy in Week 6.

Main Street Media of Tennessee's Blaine Kellar posted the final score on X, listing the result among Sumner County scores heading into the bye week.

JPII enters a bye week before returning to DII-AA Middle Region play.