McCallie too Much for Father Ryan

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The first season for the Father Ryan Fightin’ Irish under head coach Brian Rector ended Friday night.

Father Ryan (4-7), the Division II-AA East/Middle Region seven seed, traveled to Chattanooga to square off with McCallie, and the Blue Tornado cruised to a 49-14 win.

The loss was the second of the season for the Irish against McCallie. The first, on Sept. 2, ended 30-7.

It was also the fourth defeat in a row to end Father Ryan’s season. While four losses in a row are never easy to swallow, the Irish were the victim of one of the toughest schedules in Division II-AA.

They had to travel to Brentwood Academy (7-2), Baylor (7-4) and McCallie and faced Ensworth (7-3) at home in that stretch.

Looking ahead to next season, Rector will lose his senior quarterback Jay Shoop and senior running back Elton Nkwembe. Junior running back Jackson Byrd will highlight the returners.

Rector has a track record of turning programs into winners quickly, as evidenced by his previous stops at Ravenwood and Centennial.

The Irish make the transition to Division II-AAA next season.