James Van Der Beek in 'Varsity Blues.' Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment I graduated high school in 1999. That same year, James Van Der Beek was also a high school senior - at the fictional West Canaan High School in Varsity Blues. (Van Der Beek is actually four years older than me and was in his early 20s while filming Varsity Blues.