With a 6-1 record, Newton North’s football team is having its best season in years.

The Tigers’ Dan Phaneuf has been in the trenches for most of it. The 285-pound senior is a key part of the Tigers’ defensive line, disrupting the opponent’s offense and frequently pushing his way into the backfield. And when the Tigers get the ball, Phaneuf stays on the field to play tackle, where he calls out incoming blitzes and helps create running and passing lanes for the Tiger attack.

“He’s one of our best players,” says head coach Nick Capodilupo. “Offensively we never want to take him off the field unless we have to.”

Phaneuf is also deaf. Next year, he will play football at Gallaudet University, the nation’s only four-year institution of higher education specifically designed for deaf and hard of hearing students.

Deafness can be a hereditary condition. It runs in Phaneuf’s family; both of his parents are deaf. One of his grandparents is, too.

Phaneuf was born with hearing but lost much of it during an early childhood illness. He now uses two hearing aids and estimates that with them he can hear “about 40 to 45 percent of what a normal person would.” He also relies on lip-reading to make out what someone is saying in noisy environments.

As a child, Phaneuf attended the Walden School, a residential program for deaf and hard of hearing students located in Framingham. It was a difficult period of life for him and he needed an outlet.

“The only escape I had was joining a sports team,” he says. “And that was a hearing sports team, not a deaf sports team. So I started playing football because I was always the biggest kid in my class.”

He started playing in fourth grade. On the first play of his first game, he fought through the offensive line and sacked the opponent’s quarterback. He was hooked.

“I was like, ‘yeah, this is for me,’” he remembers.

In ninth grade, Phaneuf—who still lives in Framingham—transferred to Newton North to join the CAPS Deaf & Hard of Hearing (DHH) program. The program, which is operated by the CAPS Collaborative and is based at Newton North, offers academic services and counseling to deaf and hard of hearing students from across eastern Massachusetts.

Enrollment in the program provided Phaneuf with access to an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter who accompanies him to class. On the football field, changing formations and protections on the line requires constant communication. When things get difficult, Phaneuf counts on his teammates to help him out.

“Sometimes if his hearing aids die, we have to tap him, otherwise we just yell at him and he’ll hear it,” says center Cole Fontecchio, who has been playing alongside Phaneuf since freshman year. “He’ll look over, he can read our hand motions. He knows our calls and our hand signals.”

The Tigers’ coaching staff have also instituted some visual play-calling techniques to streamline communication. When Capodilupo calls out “army” for one offensive set, he touches his arm. And for “navy,” a defensive set, Capodilupo stands and salutes.

“I have been fortunate to grow with the sport, so my understanding of football has improved,” says Phaneuf. “Now I know what my linemen are going to talk about. And I am a very visual type of person. So I’m always looking out at the field, and I usually see blitzing linebackers a little bit before the other guys.”

Fontecchio adds that the communication isn’t one-way. His teammate is constantly talking and teaching and has emerged as one of the leaders of the team.

“He’s always yelling, always communicating to the guys how important everything is,” says Fontecchio. “He’s a leader on our team. And he’s the biggest guy on the line, so he leads a lot of stuff that way, too. He shows everyone better technique. He continues to lift other people up and show other guys how to do it.”

Capodilupo has coached other students who are deaf or hard of hearing before but says that what separates Phaneuf from other players—regardless of his hearing ability—is his desire to improve.

When Capodilupo gets to the locker room to prepare for practice each day, Phaneuf is often already there, watching game film on his phone, dissecting the intricate protection and coverage details that separate winning from losing. Sometimes he even shows his coach a play or two that he has drawn up.

“This is what he loves,” says Capodilupo. “He has a far greater understanding than your average offensive lineman about everyone’s job on the field. He thinks like a coach. He’s usually where he needs to be when he needs to be there, and he’s not someone who is easily confused about something.”

As a nod to all of the plays and insights Phaneuf has provided to the team’s offensive coordinator (OC), Capodilupo says that the coaches playfully call Phaneuf “OC Dan.”

“They’ve been nothing but amazing to me,” says Phaneuf. “They don’t make a big deal out of me being deaf.”

One of North’s signature wins this season was over Framingham, a team that had defeated North last year. As the Tigers put the finishing touches on a 29-18 victory, Phaneuf was elated. Not only had they avenged the loss from last year, but Phaneuf had also beaten his hometown team.

When the clock hit triple zeroes, Phaneuf ran over to his coach.

“He picked me up and lifted me in the air,” laughs Capodilupo. “You could tell how much it meant to him.”

MORE IMAGES

The Newton North Tigers defeated the Brookline Warriors 14-13 on a pre-Thanksgiving Day football game at Fenway Park on November 26, 2025. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

The Newton North football team defeated Newton South 20-14 in the Garden City Bowl on September 18, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

The Newton North football team defeated Newton South 20-14 in the Garden City Bowl on September 18, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

“He’s always yelling, always communicating to the guys how important everything is,” says teammate Cole Fontecchio. “He continues to lift other people up and show other guys how to do it.” (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon