The Spring Rally in March and the House Bowl in February served as the last sports rally and House Games, in a year where Riordan re-envisioned both the aspect of friendly competition amongst the Houses and celebrating the hard work of student athletes.

This school year, Student Activities implemented House Games each month as precursors to the Crusader Games and sports rallies returned since 2019 to recognize all students who defend the purple and gold on the court and field.

Director of Student Activities Benny Willers ’08 stated, “The Provincials and I wanted to create more consistency and a sense of tradition when it comes to the House Games. We decided that we would do two in the fall and two in the spring. So every month we either have a rally or a House Games. This also breaks up the monotony of school and allows students to get out of the classroom and build community.”

August of last year saw the Homecoming/Fall Sports Rally held in the Lindland Theatre. Football, cross country, volleyball, girls tennis, and girls golf were honored. It featured Marina Viray ’24 singing the National Anthem, a dance contest, and games such as limbo and tug of war.

Volleyball player Katelyn Leong ’25, winner of the limbo contest, recalled that she wasn’t thinking about winning and instead, “saw the game as a fun thing to do with the team at the rally.”

September and October saw the first two House Games of the year, where the highlight was Pilar eliminating Bolts in dodgeball in under 20 seconds, shocking everyone.

Basketball had a special celebration during the inaugural Purple & Gold Madness rally in November, where both teams showcased their athletic flair in traditional play and a dunk contest.

To end 2022, the third House Games in December was swept by Pilar, winning handball and a teacher edition of Musical Chairs against Bolts.

At the start of this year in January, the Winter Sports Rally celebrated basketball, soccer, and wrestling. Fiona Mulderrig ’24 sang the National Anthem and students competed in a balloon relay and cotton candy relay, and faced off against the teachers in a basketball game. 

Wrestler Jose Aguilar ’23, winner of the cotton candy relay stated, “I felt happy after I won the relay race, mostly because I had my teammates supporting me because I knew I won a relay race in front of the student body.”

The final House Games of this year was the House Bowl held in February. Houses faced off in arena-style football in the gym, with a student-teacher match occurring at the end, where the students emerged triumphant 24-18 in overtime. They earned free dress the following Tuesday. There was also a “Finish the Lyric” halftime show, where students cheerfully sang to a specific tune for their house, finishing the lyric when the song stopped. 

At the Spring Rally, baseball, lacrosse, boys tennis, boys golf, swimming, and track & field were honored, as well as cast members from Riordan Drama’s production of Fiddler on the Roof and the new Riordan Esports team.

Willers commented, “When you don’t have things like [rallies] you really start to lose a sense of identity and pride within the school. Feeling connected is really important. Whether you are a fan of sports or not, a chance to get together with your peers and be together, goes a long way.”

These rallies and House Games made for entertaining moments amidst the routine of schools, with the Band providing spirited tunes. This has all led up to the 2023 Crusader Games, scheduled for the end of April. Will Cana become the second house to be back to back champions? Or will Russi, Bolts, or Pilar pull off the upset?