Chap­ter 23: “They Think We Are Noth­ing” fol­lows Josh Good­man, a star foot­ball play­er from Chad­wick School, as he faces over­whelm­ing anx­i­ety before an impor­tant game against the Cal­i­for­nia School for the Deaf, River­side (CSDR). Good­man, a well-round­ed ath­lete excelling in mul­ti­ple posi­tions such as run­ning back, receiv­er, and kick­er, becomes increas­ing­ly anx­ious about play­ing against a deaf school for the first time. His nerves grow as this game is not just anoth­er con­test, but a defin­ing match that could deter­mine his team’s future per­for­mance. Along­side Good­man, Chadwick’s coach­ing staff, led by Coach Jor­dan Ollis, is equal­ly appre­hen­sive, under­stand­ing the high stakes involved. After a less-than-ide­al sea­son start, this game could set the tone for the rest of the sea­son and either pro­pel the team to new heights or spell dis­as­ter.

The inten­si­ty of the game is fur­ther increased when the play­ers find out that an NFL film crew will be doc­u­ment­ing the match, with a focus on Coach Ollis’s strate­gies. To top off the pres­sure, NFL leg­end Kurt Warn­er will be present to observe the game, adding an extra lay­er of sig­nif­i­cance to an already impor­tant event. Chad­wick School’s pres­ti­gious loca­tion in Palos Verdes, known for its wealth and his­tor­i­cal sig­nif­i­cance, cre­ates a stark con­trast to CSDR, which, while no less impor­tant, oper­ates in a more mod­est set­ting. Despite their dif­fer­ences, both schools have a rich tra­di­tion in foot­ball. Chad­wick has con­sis­tent­ly been a dom­i­nant force, known for its dis­ci­plined and suc­cess­ful pro­gram, while CSDR’s foot­ball pro­gram remains rel­a­tive­ly under the radar. Despite this, CSDR’s focus on deter­mi­na­tion and grit quick­ly proves that the Cubs may have under­es­ti­mat­ed their oppo­nent.

In the days lead­ing up to the game, Coach Ollis pre­pares his team by dis­cussing the unique chal­lenges they will face when play­ing against a deaf team. He talks about how the com­mu­ni­ca­tion styles will dif­fer, espe­cial­ly since the deaf play­ers may not hear the whis­tle, sig­nal­ing breaks in the game. This fore­warn­ing, how­ev­er, does lit­tle to pre­pare Chad­wick for the raw pow­er and inten­si­ty that CSDR brings to the field. The Cubs, who entered the game with con­fi­dence, quick­ly find them­selves stunned by CSDR’s abil­i­ty to exe­cute flaw­less team plays. CSDR’s seam­less team­work and relent­less phys­i­cal­i­ty dom­i­nate the game from the out­set, mak­ing it clear that Chad­wick­’s ini­tial assump­tions about the game were mis­guid­ed. The Cubs’ attempts to recov­er are thwart­ed by their own over­con­fi­dence, and they strug­gle to find their rhythm.

As the game goes on, it becomes increas­ing­ly clear that CSDR is not just a team but a for­mi­da­ble force. The Cubs, despite their rep­u­ta­tion and well-known dis­ci­pline, are no match for the col­lec­tive strength and unwa­ver­ing focus of the CSDR play­ers. The Cubs, under­es­ti­mat­ing their oppo­nents due to pre­con­ceived bias­es, find them­selves out­classed on both a phys­i­cal and men­tal lev­el. By the end of the game, CSDR has deliv­ered a dom­i­nant per­for­mance, secur­ing a 54–16 vic­to­ry. The loss is a tough blow for the Chad­wick play­ers, par­tic­u­lar­ly Good­man, who is left to reflect on the defeat. It’s not just a loss in terms of score, but a real­iza­tion that CSDR had earned their vic­to­ry by push­ing them­selves beyond what Chad­wick expect­ed. Coach Ollis, ever the pro­fes­sion­al, acknowl­edges CSDR’s supe­ri­or play and uses the loss as a teach­able moment. This defeat serves as a hum­bling expe­ri­ence, one that pro­pels Chad­wick for­ward with a renewed sense of deter­mi­na­tion. It marks a piv­otal moment in their sea­son, remind­ing them that true suc­cess is achieved through respect for all oppo­nents, men­tal tough­ness, and an abil­i­ty to adjust when faced with unfore­seen chal­lenges. The chap­ter rein­forces how pre­con­ceived bias­es and a lack of adapt­abil­i­ty can lead to fail­ure, and how humil­i­ty in defeat can dri­ve future suc­cess.