Phoenix Day School for the Deaf is playing its final football game of the 2015 regular season Friday.

The 8-man team is the only program with deaf students playing football as an Arizona Interscholastic Association member. With just 15 players and lacking experience, the team is struggling this season, but the challenges they face on the field are small compared to what the players encounter outside their campus.

azpreps365.com attended PDSD’s final regular season home game to film how the team communicates during games. But what we came away with was a story about a program with a dedicated coaching staff and a tight knit team that considers its school a home away from home.

PDSD is located in central Phoenix, home to 84 students and graduated its first class in 1983. PDSD’s opponent for its final home game this season, Anthem Prep, is in its first year as an AIA member.

“We have respect for them (PDSD) as young men who are strapping on their gear to come out and play a game and test themselves against us,” said Anthem Prep’s coach Nathan Miller before his team’s game against PDSD.  

The coach of PDSD, David Huber, is in his fifth year year.

Like some of his players, who are either hard of hearing or deaf, Huber is deaf. Huber used to work for IBM until he was laid off, but he found his calling after landing at PDSD as a teacher.

“This (PDSD) is my home,” said Huber through an interpreter. “I feel I contribute a lot to the alumni and the current students. I hope to stay here forever, because (PDSD) Roadrunners never die.”

(azpreps365.com would like to thank PDSD’s staff, including interpreter Joanna Malinka and athletic director Eddie King, for allowing us to follow their football team during its final home game. An interpreter is always with the team at home and away games. We also want to thank maxpreps.com photographer Darin Sicurello for the photos used in the video. To view and purchase photos of PDSD’s game against Anthem Prep, go here.)