When the Class of 2023 walks across the graduation stage on Mayer Family Field on May 20, the last memories of the Riordan Brotherhood will depart, as the seniors are the final class to experience the all boys era at Riordan before the co-ed change.

“It’ll feel accomplishing in a way,” said Alex Robinson ’23. “Being a part of the last class to have known what an all boys Riordan was like means I’m part of an aspect of history. We’re the last to carry that with us and I’m just very thankful I landed where I did.”

Aside from this, arguably the biggest impact on the seniors was the pandemic. During the second semester of freshman year, a “three day weekend” turned into the lockdown that forced their first year at Riordan to end online.

Oscar Hernandez ’23 reminisced, “It made me more appreciative of the friends I made, who consider brothers. We experienced a lot of change and I believe it has made us all more resilient young men.”

“Not seeing my friends during Covid was the most difficult part. The connections I built during freshman year were cut off,” Marko Kesler ’23 commented.

Despite the hurdles, the seniors were present during an eventful era at Riordan, with the field opening, the weight room being renovated, and sports clinching WCAL and CCS titles.

Cross country runner Mason McKee ’23 recalled, “Seeing other teams succeed really fired us up. When we got to state for the first time, I felt like it was huge not only for the team but also for the school as well. [Being at school] after the race was amazing. It felt like everyone knew and was excited about it.”

Countless plays, sports games, rallies, dances, Band events, Masses, retreats, and laughs in the halls, and more throughout these past four years proved that the motto “Strength in Brotherhood” was still vividly alive at Riordan, even if it was no longer an all-boys school.

“The connections we made prior to the transition allowed us to bond a lot easier. My closest friends are the ones who were there with me right from the start,” Chris Enriquez ’23 stated.

As the young men of the Class of 2023 depart, it symbolizes the end of a historic 70 plus year era, but ushers in a new era of Crusaders-staring with the Class of 2024-who will continue to foster the pride, purpose, and performance synonymous with Riordan.