California School for the Deaf-Riverside tops Flintridge Prep to win 3rd straight CIF championship

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. (KABC) -- The California School for the Deaf won their third consecutive football championship on Friday night.

The Riverside-based team took on the Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge, with both teams going into the matchup with undefeated records.

It was the first time Flintridge Prep had reached the championship game in more than 20 years.

After trailing for much of the game, the School for the Deaf came out on top in the final moments. The players and coaches use American sign language to communicate.

"We're making history -- three straight, three-peat," head coach Keith Adams said in a sign-language interview. "They led all the whole way. (In the) fourth quarter we just kind of came back and won the game. It's just unbelievable.

"The kids really wanted this," Adams said. "Their heart was just in it."

The final score was 44-42.