After years on road, Riordan football makes itself at home
Three days from his final high school football game, Riordan senior defensive lineman Ian Tupulua was getting a little misty Wednesday night.
“We’ve been through a lot of changes since I’ve been here,” said the three-year starter. “Especially the coaching staff. But we really established a foundation this year. New coach Mo (Mark Modeste) really changed the culture.
“Frankly, I wish I had one more year left. They’re building something special.”
Literally.
The school just completed a $3.2 million multisport field renovation on campus that has current Crusaders and alumni feeling special.
Riordan held a soft opening for Mayer Family Field at the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Complex on Saturday, when the Crusaders lost to St. Francis 24-7.
The result for Riordan (2-7, 0-6 in West Catholic Athletic League) was of secondary importance, given that it was the team’s first game on campus since 2014.
“Playing on the beautiful field, hearing the band, seeing everyone out supporting us — it was such a new, great feeling,” Tupulua said. “It was such good energy. A great vibe. Everyone was in a good mood.”
The vibe should continue at 1 p.m. Saturday when the 70-year-old all-boys Marianist school will have an official opening as part of its Stanfel Cup rivalry game with Sacred Heart Cathedral (0-9, 0-6). A dedication begins at 12:30 p.m.
Among the upgrades are a state-of-the-art turf field lined for four sports, upgraded stands, snack bar and press box, a refurbished and painted all-weather track and new baseball dugouts, all accented with purple and gold trim.
“There’s something about the purple and gold that really pop on that field,” said co-athletic director Bob Greene. “It’s been a long journey to get back. The excitement level is at an all-time high.”
The field has been in the works since 2012 but it wasn’t until a recent 18-month push through Riordan’s alumni and community base that the school was able to raise the majority of the funds.
“The whole school definitely has something to be proud of,” Modeste said. “It will have a huge impact moving forward.”
The past five seasons, the Crusaders have split their home games between City College of San Francisco, Terra Nova-Pacifica and Jefferson-Daly City.
Practices have also been held off campus, this season at Gellert Park in Daly City. Thursday was the first official practice on campus. Modeste, whose father coached Riordan in the late 1950s, said this group of seniors will be known as the “Gellert Park boys.”
“This is a special group that paid a huge sacrifice while the facility was being constructed,” Modeste said. “The boys’ reaction to just being able to practice on their own field was off the charts.”
Said Tupulua: “It’s like being at home and stepping into your own backyard. It feels great.”
No one on campus claims the facility will magically turn around a program that has had eight head coaches and won just 27 games since 2008.
“But it won’t hurt either,” Greene said.
Most of the optimism for a turnaround stems from Modeste and his staff.
As a defensive coordinator, he helped Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton win two NorCal titles this decade before he had an 8-3 season as head coach at Houston’s Strake Jesuit Prep, which plays in the 6A division against the biggest schools in Texas.
Tupulua, the team’s top defender and sack leader, said he’s excited for Riordan’s future and his sixth-grade brother Ethan, who he hopes one day will wear the purple and gold.
“There’s been such huge changes and improvements inside Riordan,” Tupulua said. “The new field is just the cherry on top.”
MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.