Miss-Delectable
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Metropulse.com: The Daily Pulse
Two weeks ago we brought you the story of the Tennessee School for the Deaf Vikings 8-man football team and their cheerleaders. The team had played one of their best seasons in recent history, but with no national playoffs, the season ended in late October.
Tiffany, another sophomore, looks up at the scoreboard--now 66 to 12--and beams with excitement for her team.
"They are so excited they are the champs," she signs.
By "champs," Tiffany means that the Vikings are winning this game over McClain Christian Academy. (Final score: 72-12.) This is the last game of the season for TSD, despite going 7 and 1--a rare winning season, according to Henderson. But as an eight-man football team that plays mostly other state deaf schools, there are no playoffs.
"They could be voted the Deaf National Champions by the sportswriters of the deaf newspapers," Henderson says, adding that such a feat is unlikely to happen.
But we are happy to tell you that cheer coach Ginger Henderson, quoted above, was wrong, as she informed us over the weekend. Deaf Digest Sports has named TSD their 2011 Team of the Year, the equivalent of a national championship. The KNS reports:
[Dick] Henley, the football coach at Tennessee School for the Deaf, confirmed by email that his Vikings (9-1) were recently named DeafDigest 2011 Team of the Year in eight-man football. That is considered a national championship.
"I am very pleased with this team," wrote Henley, who helped TSD win a national championship as a player in 1967. "And I believe this team is the best team I have ever coached in 26 years as head coach."
TSD, which has an enrollment of 65, last won a national title in 1973. Henley's 1994, 2000 and 2005 teams came close.
The Vikings this year, though, ran off nine consecutive wins to end the season and never punted during their win streak. TSD averaged 53.8 points this season and allowed only a combined 40 points the final eight games, which is rare in eight-man football because breakaway runs happen often.
We send our heartiest congratulations out to Henley, Henderson, and everyone at TSD for bringing home a national championship in football to Knoxville once again. We'll be on the lookout for the commemorative merchandise!
Two weeks ago we brought you the story of the Tennessee School for the Deaf Vikings 8-man football team and their cheerleaders. The team had played one of their best seasons in recent history, but with no national playoffs, the season ended in late October.
Tiffany, another sophomore, looks up at the scoreboard--now 66 to 12--and beams with excitement for her team.
"They are so excited they are the champs," she signs.
By "champs," Tiffany means that the Vikings are winning this game over McClain Christian Academy. (Final score: 72-12.) This is the last game of the season for TSD, despite going 7 and 1--a rare winning season, according to Henderson. But as an eight-man football team that plays mostly other state deaf schools, there are no playoffs.
"They could be voted the Deaf National Champions by the sportswriters of the deaf newspapers," Henderson says, adding that such a feat is unlikely to happen.
But we are happy to tell you that cheer coach Ginger Henderson, quoted above, was wrong, as she informed us over the weekend. Deaf Digest Sports has named TSD their 2011 Team of the Year, the equivalent of a national championship. The KNS reports:
[Dick] Henley, the football coach at Tennessee School for the Deaf, confirmed by email that his Vikings (9-1) were recently named DeafDigest 2011 Team of the Year in eight-man football. That is considered a national championship.
"I am very pleased with this team," wrote Henley, who helped TSD win a national championship as a player in 1967. "And I believe this team is the best team I have ever coached in 26 years as head coach."
TSD, which has an enrollment of 65, last won a national title in 1973. Henley's 1994, 2000 and 2005 teams came close.
The Vikings this year, though, ran off nine consecutive wins to end the season and never punted during their win streak. TSD averaged 53.8 points this season and allowed only a combined 40 points the final eight games, which is rare in eight-man football because breakaway runs happen often.
We send our heartiest congratulations out to Henley, Henderson, and everyone at TSD for bringing home a national championship in football to Knoxville once again. We'll be on the lookout for the commemorative merchandise!