Jacksonville Christian Academy and the Arkansas School for the Deaf are scheduled to play their season finale at home Saturday against Oklahoma School for the Deaf, THV11 reported. MaxPreps lists Oklahoma School for the Deaf wins over Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, 58-12 on October 24; Iowa School for the Deaf, 63-12 on October 9; and New Mexico School for the Deaf, 18-0 on September 19.
How the schools combined rosters
The partnership grew out of Jacksonville Christian Academy’s first football season. Head coach Randy Dignan contacted Arkansas School for the Deaf while arranging games, and the schools initially planned to meet twice. After Arkansas School for the Deaf lost seniors and said it did not have enough players to field a team, the programs joined rosters instead, according to THV11’s account.
Communication and plans to continue
The combined team includes hearing and deaf players, and some players are learning sign language as they work to communicate and build team cohesion, THV11 reported. The station also reported that athletic director Tommy Varner told Dignan he wanted the schools to combine again next year; the two programs plan to continue the joint football effort.
