Tears welled in River DeJong’s eyes as he crossed the goal-line after a 90-yard run, scoring the longest running touchdown in Franklin’s history. Unbeknownst to the fans erupting in the bleachers, the senior captain’s touchdown wasn’t just a monument in Franklin football history, but a testament to the journey that brought the captain to the field that night; and it all starts on a stage.
If you asked 7-year-old River DeJong what he wanted to be when he was older, he would’ve told you he was going to be a famous actor. Ten years later, the senior is not only an accomplished actor going on to pursue dramatic arts, but a dedicated student, football player, power lifter, snowboarder, and artist. To understand how the high school senior became such a well-rounded individual we have to start at square one.
DeJong began acting around the time he learned to tie his shoes, participating in classes at Seattle Children’s Theater and school productions. His freshman year of high school, the actor decided to audition for Fifth Avenue’s rising star project, a competitive program for teenage actors to work alongside professionals in a production. Despite having only done plays and having little to no musical theater experience, DeJong auditioned and earned a role in the production.
“I’d always wanted to be an actor, and being cast in the Rising Star Project with the Fifth [Avenue] kind of actualized that that dream was possible,” shared the young upstart.
From there, his musical theater career flourished, but when he had to transfer schools his junior year of high school, he needed another outlet to cope with the transition. Enter football.
With weightlifting experience in his back pocket, DeJong tried out for the Franklin football team. Originally, the “rookie” earned a spot on JV but his determination to learning the game shone through, and the coaching staff rewarded him with a spot on varsity by the end of the season. Dejong made his varsity debut in Franklin’s 2023 Homecoming game.
Jumping from JV to Varsity in one season was an incredible feat for the up-and-coming Franklin player, but his accomplishments didn’t end there. By senior year, Dejong was named Senior Captain and broke the school’s record for longest running touchdown. He made every success look effortless, but nothing is ever as it seems.
In an unexpected twist of fate, DeJong found himself acting in shows whilst training for football, and while it wasn’t always easy, his positive attitude and determination to succeed led to an incredible success story.
This past summer the athlete was tested when football training overlapped with a production, he found that clear communication and focusing on where he was in the moment was the key to a healthy balance.
” I showed my commitment to my coaches through showing up when I could and just being so clear about times I would have to miss practice. When I was at practice, I was not thinking about theater at all; I was at practice 100% and pushing myself as much as I could. I would often stay after practice and push the sled because I wanted to be the running back and started running back at that, so I dedicated myself to doing that kind of extra training and it paid off,” reflected the senior.
Even with the new commitment to football, his theater director Athena Davis shared how the cast and crew never once doubted his loyalty to the show.
“[River] is a leader and a team player. Despite his busy summer
schedule with sports, work, and family events, he always showed up prepared and ready to work. He is kind to his fellow actors and is willing to support them as well as showing respect to the production team and backstage crew members” shared Davis.
As he learned to navigate balancing the field and the stage, DeJong kept school as his first priority, which centered him and kept his academic record on point. “I was I was doing all of my homework during lunch and I really didn’t take a break during the school day to ensure that I could be 100% focused to my other commitments, which were sports, football and acting. So, ensuring my academic success through prioritizing and really utilizing every bit of spare time I had really enabled me to do that,”.
For his final year of high school, the senior opted to do running start, a program that allows juniors and seniors to take classes through a local college. Not only did this open his schedule but it offered a more challenging academic setting. Additionally, being in a collegiate environment helped River keep his future goal of attending a competitive university for screen acting.
Despite the busy schedule, the senior is beyond grateful for the ways in which his two realities influenced each other in a positive way. His football and weightlifting training gave him a signature dance move, the DeJong jump.
“I have a I have a rather high jump, and that’s just from my training with football. They’ll work that in in any way that they can where somewhere in a dance number, they’ll just have me jump and it’ll make for a fun part of the show,” explained the actor.
As for how the senior’s acting experience influenced his time on the field, well that’s something every athlete should hear. By approaching his opponents for a captain’s handshake with an easy confidence he learned from theater, DeJong feels he was able to subconsciously set the environment on the field. Additionally, it helped with nerves that many players feel to not embarrass themselves on the field.
“Earlier in my acting career, I did struggle with a little bit of stage fright and just dealing with the size of audiences. But after working with the Fifth Avenue theater where, you know, it’s a 2000-person theater coming to our homecoming game, where you have at least 400 people in the stand it really helps just eliminate all nerves because I’d already experienced that level of bodies before,” shared Dejong. This confidence transformed DeJong into a bold and strategic presence on the field.
In a world where many schools are defunding arts programs, DeJong is a prime example of how every student can benefit from performance arts.
“Theatre is storytelling. Although learning physical education, science, math, etc. are important, theatre teaches us the thing that makes us human which is experiences. Stories about and based on people’s actions, experiences, and history can teach students lessons about the world around them and how those lessons from those stories apply today,” shared Davis.
Not only do DeJong’s experience in theater and football benefit each other, but they have shaped River into the person he is today and given him two incredible communities.
“I got a great mentor, Susie Bixler, through theater who offered to write my recommendation letter for college and she’s got to me through the process helping me find schools. So that the family type of love you get from theater that I think is very important,” Dejong recounted about his mentor and friend, Suzie Bixler, who became a helping hand both on and off the stage. The athlete then shared about his relationship with the Franklin team, “Every teammate on my football team, I feel like they’re my brothers, you know. And we go out there on the field and you’re willing to block for them, you’re willing to take the hit for them, and I think that’s a really strong bond that I’ve created with all the guys.”
When many would shy away from participating in two vastly different activities, DeJong embraced it with open arms. “People are like, oh, you’re a theater nerd and I’m like, I don’t care. I love performing and I also play football,” he explained.
DeJong thanks his parents for giving him the sense of courage needed to try new things, sharing that they pushed him out of his comfort zone through activities such as mountain biking and snowboarding from a young age which built his confidence.
Additionally, DeJong is grateful for having the opportunity to attend an untraditional middle school that was nature focused and encouraged the students to reduce screen time, the captain didn’t get a phone until his freshman year of high school.
“Now if I’m bored, I can just grow on Instagram reels, but at the time, I would find creative ways to, you know, deal with boredom and what to do in my free time. And that included just drawing, fine tuning my art skills and going outside and playing. I think not having a distraction actually really did help me create a vast array different interest,” shared the senior. It was this free time that allowed DeJong to develop the self-discipline needed to pursue both theater and football later in life.
As DeJong wraps up his senior year and prepares for college he leaves behind a looming legacy and a few wise words:
“Build habits in which you can consistently succeed and try anything you can and try to live stories to tell your grandkids or your kids. I think high school offers a lot of opportunities that won’t be as readily accessible later in life. It’s it’ll be pretty difficult to just sing in a choir or join the soccer team, farther down the road. It’s a beautiful time of formation and trying a vast array of activities will help you find who you are and what path you want to follow,”.
