CA School For The Deaf Riverside's Football Team Wins D-1 CIF-SS Championship

RIVERSIDE, CA — California School For The Deaf, Riverside's football team notched a resounding 80-26 victory to win the Division 1 eight-player football championship Nov. 19 over Canoga Park's Faith Baptist. On Monday, the team and their fans celebrated the championship victory with a parade to honor the athletes who defeated their rivals to claim the title.

Coach Keith AdamsAdams took his son as far as possible in prep-school play to help the team win it all. During the final game Trevin Adams, senior quarterback and linebacker of the Cubs team, led the school to their first CIF-SS title, adding 400 yards and ten touchdowns.

"Unfinished business is now finished," Keith Adams said in an interview with the Press-Enterprise after the game. "It's an honor to be the first team to win a title."

Trevin Adams, fellow senior Jory Valencia, a wide receiver and cornerback, and Keith Adams shared what the victory meant to them on the school's newscast "The Daily Moth."

"Last year when we lost, it was really painful. We were so close! We got all the way to the championship game just to lose it. It felt like we were so close and then we lost it," Valencia said. "And then this year, we finally won it. Even though we were without one of our best players, Felix Gonzales, we did hesitate at that moment, but that didn't stop us. We just kept on without him and were able to win the championship. It's unbelievable. We did it."

According to Trevin Adams, winning feels good.

"With everything last year, we had all that media hype and buzz just for us to lose so badly. Because of that, we knew we had to work hard. And we were able to attain that goal this year and it feels good. We worked hard for it, you know?"

Trevin Adams and Valencia have played flag football since they were children. Valencia started tackle football in the third grade.

"We're just able to read each other's minds," Trevin Adams said of their partnership. "All it takes for us is a look and we just know what to do. We have that kind of special bond that we don't have with anyone else. It's amazing how we have that. We just connect."

Keith Adams spoke on the media attention from last year compared to the championships in 2022.

"Last year, I wasn't prepared with the opponents' skills. I watched them on video, but on the field, it was way different," he told the Daily Moth. "They were faster, and they hit hard. So this year I was able to better prepare our players with skills in advance. We knew how to avoid their strengths. We knew some of the players were good tacklers. Last year, we would block for a bit but they would run after us and tackle us. So this year I made sure to emphasize that we play until the whistle blows. Last year, we thought it was no big deal to block for a bit and let up because that was good enough with other teams, but not with Faith Baptist, as they were relentless with the ball. So we couldn't afford to let that happen again so we kept on hitting until the whistle. That is a better strategy compared with last year."

Trevin Adams heads to Gallaudet for college, where he will continue playing with a new team.

"It won't be like playing with the same players that I've grown up with since PIP and played with since we were 18 months old. So with it being our last game together, it was special. We wanted to cherish every minute we had. I wanted to play hard with my teammates for one last time."

The team is the heart behind a new series heading to Disney+. Executive producer and Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin was on hand to witness their victory.

A complete game breakdown is available by reporter Eric-Paul Johnson on the Press-Enterprise.