The Riordan varsity football team started the season fiercely. At the moment, the varsity team has a 6-2 record, currently ranked in second in The West Catholic Athletic League. Not only is the Varsity team having a great season, but they’ve also brought back the iconic saying from the 80s: “Purple Reign.”

Adhir Ravipati, head coach of the varsity football team, is back again, and is a force to be reckoned with. He joined the Riordan community last year, bringing a whole new culture to the team, and he’s sticking to it this year.

Varsity quarterback Michael Mitchel Jr. ’26 said this season is different from last
season.

“The culture has changed a lot. We’ve done a lot of work to change that culture. I feel like we can handle adversity better.”

Sophomores Cynai Thomas and Skylar Tiatia expressed their goals for the season and why it’s different. Their goal is to win state.

Thomas said, “Win it all, win state and put up a banner at Riordan.”
Tiatia explained why he thinks this year is different.

“A new team, different players, underclassmen who came in, seniors who left. I think we built a lot of chemistry throughout the
off season.”

In addition, Chris Lawson ’25 discussed his mentality and how he overcomes losses.
“I think my mentality for this season is to get better week by week and take it slow with my team. We come back from a loss, we watch film as a team, Coach points out our mistakes, then we take it to practice and improve on it.”

Early on, the Crusaders have made good on their word, breaking two records and tying one.
Michael Mitchell ‘26 broke the WCAL record for touchdowns (6), which was previously held by two Crusader quarterbacks. Mitchell also broke the record for most completions thrown in one game (28).

Isitolo Tuuganysy ’27 tied the WCAL record for points scored in a game (30) and total touchdowns (5) in one game.

This season, the football team will continue to glisten with purple rain as they strive to
become state champions.