Pho­tographs in The Boys of River­side pro­vide a vivid and inti­mate por­tray­al of the jour­ney under­tak­en by the Cal­i­for­nia School for the Deaf, River­side, and its foot­ball team, the Cubs. The pic­turesque cam­pus, nes­tled at the base of the San Gabriel Moun­tains, offers a serene envi­ron­ment that reflects the ded­i­ca­tion and ambi­tion of its stu­dents. The palm trees lin­ing the school grounds serve as a visu­al mark­er of the region’s beau­ty, while the tran­quil yet vibrant atmos­phere sets the tone for a com­mu­ni­ty deeply com­mit­ted to both aca­d­e­mics and extracur­ric­u­lar activ­i­ties. It’s here, in this unique set­ting, that the Cubs strive for great­ness, bal­anc­ing the chal­lenges of being stu­dent-ath­letes with the broad­er mis­sion of break­ing down bar­ri­ers for the deaf com­mu­ni­ty.

The nar­ra­tive brings the Cubs to life, paint­ing a pic­ture of a small yet pas­sion­ate team com­posed of around twen­ty ded­i­cat­ed play­ers. Despite prac­tic­ing on a rough, worn field with fad­ed lines and worn-out goal posts, the team’s spir­it and com­mit­ment to their sport nev­er waver. Before each home game, the Cubs share a rit­u­al of din­ing togeth­er at a local pizze­ria, where their red jer­seys and ener­gy fill the estab­lish­ment with pride and excite­ment. This tra­di­tion not only builds team cama­raderie but also roots the play­ers in a sense of com­mu­ni­ty, allow­ing them to bond off the field. The prox­im­i­ty of the field to a busy road and the pres­ence of ded­i­cat­ed local fig­ures like Phillip Cas­tane­da, who sleeps in his father’s car across the street, fur­ther illus­trate the depth of their com­mit­ment to the team and their goals. The sense of pride and sac­ri­fice per­me­ates every action of the Cubs, rein­forc­ing the impor­tance of their mis­sion.

Coach­ing plays an inte­gral role in the team’s pro­gres­sion, with Coach Kei­th Adams employ­ing sign lan­guage in a strate­gic man­ner to keep their plans hid­den from oppo­nents. This thought­ful and prac­ti­cal approach show­cas­es the impor­tance of effec­tive com­mu­ni­ca­tion, ensur­ing that the Cubs are always one step ahead. As the team read­ies itself for cru­cial games, such as the upcom­ing match against Chad­wick School, Coach Adams uti­lizes the school’s air-con­di­tioned weight room to deliv­er moti­va­tion­al speech­es. This com­bi­na­tion of com­fort and focus pro­vides an ide­al envi­ron­ment for build­ing men­tal resilience. Addi­tion­al­ly, the sur­round­ing region, rich with his­to­ry, is enhanced by the pres­ence of orange groves, which not only reflect River­side’s agri­cul­tur­al past but also con­tribute to the over­all atmos­phere, ground­ing the Cubs’ jour­ney in the com­mu­ni­ty and the lega­cy of the land.

Key fig­ures like Kaveh Angoorani, the defen­sive coor­di­na­tor, take on vital roles, help­ing guide the Cubs toward their ulti­mate goal: a cham­pi­onship. Trevin Adams, the team’s quar­ter­back, is a stand­out play­er known for his dynam­ic abil­i­ties as a dual-threat, excelling both as a pass­er and a rush­er. Despite the lim­it­ed num­ber of play­ers, the Cubs boast a team com­posed of stu­dents from vary­ing grades, show­cas­ing the strength that comes from work­ing togeth­er regard­less of age or expe­ri­ence. This col­lab­o­ra­tion and uni­ty are what fuel the Cubs’ per­se­ver­ance, mak­ing them a for­mi­da­ble force on the field and demon­strat­ing that suc­cess is born from col­lec­tive effort.

The role of tech­nol­o­gy is anoth­er vital aspect of the Cubs’ jour­ney, as iPhones are uti­lized to facil­i­tate com­mu­ni­ca­tion between play­ers and coach­es, ensur­ing that the team remains con­nect­ed and coor­di­nat­ed. This mod­ern tool has a sig­nif­i­cant impact on the team’s abil­i­ty to adapt, col­lab­o­rate, and stay in sync dur­ing prac­tices and games. As the Cubs progress toward their cham­pi­onship run in 2022, the excite­ment builds, with each game pro­vid­ing new oppor­tu­ni­ties for tri­umph and growth. The recog­ni­tion of the Cubs’ efforts extends beyond their imme­di­ate com­mu­ni­ty when the Los Ange­les Charg­ers invite them to their sta­di­um, solid­i­fy­ing the broad­er acknowl­edg­ment of their achieve­ments. This moment of recog­ni­tion is a tes­ta­ment to the Cubs’ ded­i­ca­tion, per­se­ver­ance, and hard work, high­light­ing not only their per­son­al tri­umphs but also their role in inspir­ing oth­ers. The invi­ta­tion is a cel­e­bra­tion of the team’s resilience, fur­ther cement­ing their place as role mod­els for oth­er aspir­ing ath­letes, espe­cial­ly with­in the deaf com­mu­ni­ty.