The answer to that trivia question is the site of our first report today.

I'm Carl Azuz; welcome to the show.

The island we're talking about is Barbados.

Until Tuesday, its government was a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, and that monarch was Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, but no more.

In removing Britain's queen as its head of state, Barbados has officially become a republic.

The queen's role there was mostly a symbolic one; Barbados got its independence from Britain in 1966, and the island's governing power lies with its prime minister, Mia Mottley.

It's replaced the queen's ceremonial role with that of a new president named Barbara Mason, but Barbados' prime minister will still have most of the governing power.

This Caribbean island was uninhabited before Britain established a settlement there in 1627.

Historians say British sugar plantations worked by African slaves became a source of private wealth for Britain.

Slavery was abolished in Barbados in 1834 and, in more recent decades, after it achieved independence from Britain, tourism and manufacturing became more economically important to Barbados than sugar production.

As the island prepared to become a republic, Barbados's leaders said the time had come for it to fully leave its colonial past behind by removing the Queen's symbolic status.

But Barbadian critics say the public should have had more of a voice in the process, possibly through a vote, instead of having it handled completely by the Barbadian government.

For its part, the British monarchy had said the decision was up to Barbados and that the issue had been discussed for a while.

It was a friendly parting; Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, traveled to Barbados to attend the transition.

10-second trivia: The malleus, the pinna, and the stapes are all parts of what?

Foot, orchestra, ship, or ear.

If you're a mammal ⏤ and you are ⏤ you have all of these as part of your ear.

But in their 12-0 season that brought them to a championship game, the football team at the California School for the Deaf, Riverside didn't need the use of their ears.

The entire team is deaf, their coach is deaf, but they've been able to use that to call plays without huddling and purportedly read other team's body language better.

Nick Watt covered their championship.

The Cubs in their school's 68-year history have never, ever, not even once made it to a championship game, and here they are.

Their opponents, Faith Baptist, have won this southern California Championship about a dozen times in their history.

They're good.

Tickets for this blockbuster game sold out in 45 minutes; they had to move it to a nearby high school, bigger bleachers to seat the growing fan base.

Many of them are standing. A lot.

But today is the biggest crowd I've ever seen.

It is just... because you have not only people that come to this school, you have other deaf people that come from different schools, because whenever there's a deaf event, people just want to be there.

Now, we caught up with the cubs for the mid-week team talk...

... and practice.

The voice you'll hear is a sign language interpreter.

We're making history here, and if we do lose, I'm still incredibly proud of this team.

If we win the championship game, that would just be that much more awesome.

Here is the already awesome backstory.

The CSDR Cubs, in the past, lost a lot.

The team stunk, quite honestly; CSDR were often viewed as... as kind of the laughingstock, right?

We're always gonna have these lousy seasons, but that has not been the case this season.

First game, a 68-to-zip victory.

Yeah, that's a six.

This is not a well-funded, fancy-pants program.

Why are you guys doing so well? What's the secret?

We've practiced strong, we work together, we've got this sense of brotherhood amongst us.

We're a family.

Next up, drubbing, then, shellacking.

Their season so far? 12-0.

You're not just a good deaf football team; you're a good football team.

Exactly right, exactly right.

We've played against other good teams, let me say, but we just keep beating them.

Back at the championship game second quarter, the Cubs are down 28-0. Oh, boy!

Typically for our games, we are winning by a pretty, you know, 20, 30 point margin by halftime, and this is definitely a very different vibe.

And then, hook-and-ladder play sparks a startling rally.

Suddenly, it's 28 to 22; the crowd's going nuts.

But how do the players feed off that?

With their eyes.

During your breaks, during halftime, you look around, they're cheering, their hands are waving in the air.

You see their energy and... and that's just... that feels so good.

The Cubs' average winning margin this season?

Nearly 50 points.

Have you yourself scored any touchdowns this year?

More than 15? I... I lost count.

Nice.

These kids were already confident; they didn't need this historic run to prove their worth in the world, but some opponents underestimated them.

Badly.

I think they do dismiss us oftentimes; they think we're a deaf school, no big deal.

Then I think it's a lesson learned for them that deaf people out there and other programs can do better than they are doing.

Back to that championship game. Halftime, Valencia, Touchdown King, is iced; he's out.

Kaden Adams is limping ⏤ he's the coach's son, by the way ⏤ and his brother, starting quarterback Trevin, takes a hit.

His night is over; the limping Kaden has to take his spot.

Now, to most of us, a football game sounds like this.

With these kids? Well, turn off the sound.

That could be a disadvantage.

They make it an advantage.

During the game, we're able to throw out plays, exact plays ⏤ hearing teams don't understand what our plays are, what they're... what's being shared on the field.

Tree, that's the part of their play, is tree.

Watch the ball; watch the ball.

This is our first language, it's our native language.

We're using our native language on the field.

And visual acuity is more alert, uh, than your hearing opponents, typically, and so, that we use as an advantage, yeah.

To go from laughing stock to media darlings, moving merch.

Now we've got TV producers, movie producers reaching out to us; it's just... it's endless.

Yeah, it definitely feels like we've reached celebrity status.

I don't think the media and... and everything is getting to their head; they're just focused on the game.

But with two key Cubs stars sidelined, those bearly Faith Baptist boys proved just too much.

A second half blow act.

The Cubs distraught.

They weren't in this for a heartwarming story about deaf kids against the odds.

- They were in this to win... - ... and I'm very proud.

They defeated us, yes, but they've taught us a lesson.

That means that the expectation is going to be higher next year.

And get this.

There were only two seniors on this Cubs team.

Next year. Maybe. Just maybe.

This dude named Michael Pick said he had a choice: Practice and get better at shooting with a regular NERF gun or build a bigger NERF gun.

He did the second thing.

Designed on a computer, built using plywood and 3D-printed parts, it's 12.5-feet long and weighs more than 200 pounds.

It's powered by electronics and a paintball air tank.

Unlike regular NERF guns, it is not a toy, but it can wreak havoc on water balloons.

You can't buy it, either, because "NERF" would "ner-fer" sell it; they probably wouldn't have the "nerf" to build it and it would make your mom really "nerf-ous".

Is it "nerf-arious"?

Only if its holder gets "nerf-arious", so you don't wanna get on his "nerfs", if you know what I'm saying.

Mods of these toys are "nerf-er" ending, so we'll keep an eye out for what people build on their own "nerf".

I'm Carl Azuz.

Bexley High School gets today's shout-out; it's great to have you watching from Bexley, Ohio.

We hope you and everyone else returns again tomorrow.