AVALON, Calif.—Rounds of applause erupted for the California School for the Deaf (CSDR)–Riverside Cubs Varsity football team, celebrating its first California Interscholastic Federation–Southern Section Division championship on Friday, Nov. 19, defeating the Avalon Lancers with a 61–51 victory. “From day one, honestly, we’ve had our eyes on the prize. That has been the goal. Let’s get to playoffs, let’s get to that championship game. We can do it, and we are almost there,” Keith Adams, the head coach, told ABC. Aside from talent, tenacity, and teamwork, the Cubs—constituted of only deaf and hard of hearing players—have mastered a different set of communication skills both on and off the playing field. “My heart is so bursting with pride. Many of these students were mine when I was an elementary school principal. To see them thriving like this is really exciting. I’m proud,” Janelle Green, a middle school principal, told NBC. Using …