Ryan DeJohn was a little busy this fall as the Emmaus football season stretched into November with a trip to districts. That gave the senior tight end and free safety only about a month to go from the gridiron to the pool and get into swimming shape.

With the success of the football program, DeJohn was hoping for the team to go even deeper than the district semifinals. He remembers the disappointment when the Hornets lost Freedom, who were the underdogs, and it is a feeling he does not want to feel again. He also does not want his teammates to experience the feeling at the end of the swimming season.

“The season didn’t end the way we wanted, so I think that made me want to get into the water and get going in swimming and competing,” said DeJohn. “I remember that feeling of not going as far as we wanted and I have talked with some of the other seniors about how much it hurts and how we don’t want that, so we have to grind all season and make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Throughout the dual meet season, Emmaus has found success, going undefeated in the East Penn Conference, and losing just one meet outside of the conference, which was to powerhouse Wilson West Lawn.

DeJohn and other swimmers are in outstanding position to compete in districts and states. The Hornets have 15 straight district championships and nobody on the team – especially the seniors – want to be a part of the team that sees that string end.

DeJohn looks for big things from swimmers in all grade levels as they go into the postseason. The Cedar Crest Classic on Saturday is a sort of preview of districts and DeJohn is taking it very seriously.

“We definitely need to go and take care of business,” said DeJohn. “We are looking to have a good Cedar Crest Classic and I think that will be good for us because kids get to come back from the preliminaries and swim in the finals. I expect a bunch of our kids to put up some best times in that meet.”

A trip back to states may well be in the cards for DeJohn both as an individual and as a member of relay teams. Recently, against Liberty, DeJohn took a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle and was on relay teams that won both the 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle. That type of trip is not out of the question for the senior swimmer in districts, which would make for a busy trip to states at Bucknell University next month.

When this year’s seniors were sophomores, Emmaus finished second in the state in the team competition. DeJohn remembers thinking that he and his classmates were a strong group. When he looks at this year’s group of young swimmers, he thinks they may even be better. With that analysis, the seniors may be the ones to make a difference for the team at states.

“I’m blown away by how talented (the underclassmen) are,” DeJohn said. “Getting to be number-two in the state was a big accomplishment and the kids coming after that can look at that and look to make their group the ones that get there. The juniors and seniors that were on that team put in a ton of work and we have to do that this year and show the younger kids what it takes. I have tried to do that for them throughout the season,” said DeJohn.

After swimming comes a new sports challenge for DeJohn. He will look to play lacrosse for the first time this spring. Other than goofing around in his back yard, he has never played lacrosse. His friend, Aidan Garrett, is on the team and convinced DeJohn to give it a shot.

As for school, DeJohn has narrowed his choices down to two. Attending Penn State has been somewhat of a family tradition, but he might go a separate way and head for the University of Delaware. He looks to major in business and continue his swimming career in college.