Finally on Field Together, Johnson Twins Form Prolific Pair in Manchester Backfield
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
November 11, 2026
When Donte Johnson was a freshman, he was called up to the Manchester varsity football team. At first, he was a fifth-quarter player, moving up from the junior varsity to also play one quarter in the varsity’s games. He eventually made the Flying Dutchman special teams lineup.
Jayden Johnson, his twin brother, didn’t play varsity as a freshman, but stepped in as a sophomore when the projected Manchester starter at his position got hurt. Jayden responded with a great fall. Unfortunately, Donte missed that fall due to a knee injury suffered during basketball season.
As juniors, big things were expected from the duo, but injuries slowed Donte, and Jayden struggled as part of a very young Manchester team.
This season, seemingly out of nowhere, the two blossomed into the dynamic duo, both recording 1,000-yard rushing seasons for a 7-4 Manchester team that played in the Cascades Conference championship game and made the Division 8 playoffs. The trigger was a new offense installed in the offseason as the Flying Dutchmen went from the T formation to the single wing.
“I really liked the offense a lot more,” Jayden said. “I feel like it was meant for us. The T didn’t let our players use their full ability. With this team, this was perfect because we had a lot of speed.”
Donte agreed.
“I think it was interesting,” he said. “We knew we were going to run a different offense, but Coach really didn’t tell us until we went to the Olivet camp. I think it was the best change we could have done.”
Joshua Lindeman, who just completed his third season coaching the Flying Dutchmen, said seeing the Johnson twins together on the football field and playing at such a high level was great not only for the team, but for them as individuals as well.
“I think, because of some of the things they have gone through in the past, football and sports have become part of their identity,” Lindeman said. “To see them together, on the football field, finally, was a great thing to see. They couldn’t be more different, but they genuinely love each other and are great young men.”
The twins are from Manchester, where they have family, including grandparents. At a young age, they moved to northwest Tennessee. They returned to the Manchester area as fifth graders but had to reclassify as students and had different classmates from when they left.
“We had the choice of where we wanted to go to school, but we chose Manchester,” Jayden said. “It had always been home.”
Over the last 18 months, the two were adopted by their aunt, the sister of their mother.
“Sports has been their constant,” said Lindsey Beerens, their aunt. “It was a bad deal for them for a long time, but sports helped them. They moved around a lot when they were younger.
“This year, it was great to see them healthy and playing together. They are so supportive of one another.”
Lindeman said while the twins were both running backs, they couldn’t be more different off the field.
Donte, he said, is the one who talks more frequently, always with something on his mind.
“He is like the donkey from Shrek,” Lindeman said. “I’ve learned that is just who he is. He talks all of the time. It drives Jayden nuts.”
Jayden, on the other hand, is the more reserved of the two, but is also more open to talking about things he has gone through personally.
“If I had a dime for every time I had to tell those two to leave each other alone, I would be driving a much better car,” Lindeman said.
Ultimately, the two are great teammates – to each other and the rest of the team.
“One thing you will see, even though they can be bickering at each other at practice all week or in a game, when the other makes a play, the happiest guy on the field is the other one,” Lindeman said. “The celebration and joy they have over each other’s success is great. If you talk to them, like after Donte makes a good run, Jayden will say something like, ‘I’d (have) made it look better.’ But he has true joy in his heart and is happy for him.
“They are two competitive souls with each other.”
Jayden said Lindeman’s arrival helped spark a change in not only him but the team and community.
“There was a noticeable change,” he said. “I feel like he is pulling everyone together. We are one big family now. The community feels so much closer. Everyone is involved. We have so much support, dads from the community come out every Friday and help set up stuff.
“We have a motto – Family means Forget About Me, I Love You – and I think that pulls everyone together. It makes me want to work hard for everyone around me.”
Donte said he and his brother started playing tackle football at age 8 while they were in Tennessee. They play other sports – Jayden focuses on indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring, and Donte is planning to play baseball this upcoming season – but football has been their main sport for as long as they can remember.
Lindeman said there was a time when he wasn’t sure Donte would play football again, which is one of the reasons this past season was so much fun.
“I watched film of him as a freshman and I thought, ‘There’s my starting quarterback for the next three years,’” Lindeman said. “Then, when I met him, he was hobbling around because of his knee. He sat on the couch in my office at one point and said he wasn’t going to play. When he came back and started playing, you could see his confidence. His whole personality started to shine.”
Together, the twins did more than just lead the Manchester football team to a great season. They lifted up everyone around them.
“They genuinely love each other,” Lindeman said. “It’s been special to watch how both of them were good for us this year because of what they’ve gone through. To watch both of them to do it together was very cool.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) At left, Jayden Johnson, and right, twin Donte Johnson, were both 1,000-yard rushers for Manchester this season. (Photos by Tyler George).
Constantine Football All-Stater, Wrestling Champ Aiming for Grand Finale
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
April 30, 2024
CONSTANTINE – Bennett VandenBerg has earned many accolades over the last four years as a three-sport athlete at Constantine.
But the awards aren't what the 6-foot-3, 240-pound standout will remember most when reflecting on his memories as an all-state football player, state champion wrestler and record-breaking throwing specialist on the Falcons' track & field squad.
"I'll remember how I represented our school and pushed myself to be the best I could be in each sport that I played," said VandenBerg, who has earned 12 varsity letters.
VandenBerg has evolved into one of the most accomplished athletes in the state this school year as a senior, especially standing out among those from smaller communities.
This past fall he was named first-team Division 5-6 all-state at defensive end in football before winning the Division 3 Individual Finals wrestling title at 285 pounds in early March at Ford Field.
VandenBerg's final goal is to win the discus title at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals on Saturday, June 1, in Kent City to end his Constantine career all-state in all three sports.
He broke the school record in the discus his junior year with a throw of 158 feet, 1 inch; the previous mark of 156-6 had been held by Doug Polasek since 1986. VandenBerg has eclipsed his school record twice this spring, most recently with a personal-best toss of 170-9 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference double dual meet with Schoolcraft and Kalamazoo Christian. He ranks No. 4 statewide in the event regardless of enrollment division. Lawton junior Mason Mayne at 175-4 is the only Division 3 competitor with a better throw than VandenBerg.
"It's really cool to have your name up on the school record board, but I'd like to make that mark more untouchable before I'm done," VandenBerg said. "My goal is to be a state discus champion. I've put in the necessary work for it. It would be nice to end my career that way."
Kyle Rimer, Constantine's veteran boys track & field coach, is most impressed with VandenBerg's leadership and presence in working with the Falcons' younger athletes.
"Bennett loves to compete. Ever since he was a freshman, we've also had him on our 400-meter relay team. That's something he really enjoys doing. He's not just a thrower, but a good overall athlete with lots of drive,” Rimer said. “There's a lot of individuality in track & field, but I think he does a great job of leading the younger kids. He has the drive, accountability and technique to achieve his goal of being a state champion in his throwing events.”
VandenBerg is already a two-time Finals placer in the discus, earning sixth as a junior and seventh his sophomore year. He admits being a little disappointed with his distance at the 2023 state meet.
"In that particular event (discus) you need lots of focus and determination because there are a ton of tiny things you can mess up on that affect your throw. To become better you need to be consistent, show up every day and be willing to put in the work," VandenBerg said. "Right now I'm working on my speed in the circle and quickness in my follow-through."
VandenBerg also has been pleased with his improvement this spring in the shot put. He's increased his distance by over five feet and hopes to break the school record in that event as well. John Kampars (1967) holds Constantine's shot put record at 54-8¼, and VandenBerg's personal best is 48-10 in a double-dual meet this season against Parchment and Centreville.
"Shot put is a difficult event. You need power, but your form has to be top-notch – otherwise it's tough to move that 12-pound ball," VandenBerg said. "I would love to qualify for state in both the discus and shot put and be all-state in each. That would be amazing if I could be a state champion in either of those events."
VandenBerg has put in extra work in the offseason with special instruction from Bill Griffey of Next Throw in Plainwell, along with working with Constantine assistant track & field and head football coach Shawn Griffith.
"Bennett puts a lot of time into working on his throwing. He spends a lot of time in the weight room, and he's a bigger kid who is not afraid to be coached and listens to what other people tell him," Griffith said. "We're excited to see what he can do now that we've had warmer weather recently."
VandenBerg's motivation this spring follows a tremendous wrestling season that saw him finish 54-0 and capture the 285 championship with a 3-0 win in the title match over Reed City junior Wyatt Spalo.
"I gained 20 pounds of muscle and did everything you need to do to become a better athlete to wrestle the heavyweight division. Winning the title was overwhelming. It was everything I ever wanted, and the first 20 minutes after winning it was relief, especially after losing in the Finals as a junior. I just went into that last match and wrestled smart and confident," VandenBerg said. "My speed and strength gave me an advantage over the bigger heavyweights I faced this year."
Vandenberg, 188-22 with 104 career pins, became the 10th Finals champion in Constantine wrestling history and the first to achieve the feat since Kevin Watkins won a 152-pound crown in 2000.
VandenBerg competed at 189 as a freshman and sophomore. He was a Regional qualifier as a freshman and finished sixth in Division 3 as a sophomore before ending his junior campaign as the Finals runner-up at 215.
"Bennett is a competitor who hates to lose, and if he does he learns from it. He had a lot of good practice partners on the team his first three years, and he wasn't going to be denied after losing in the Finals as a junior," said Constantine wrestling coach Dale Davidhizar Jr.
VandenBerg played on Constantine's varsity football team for four years. He got a lot of extra playing time as a freshman when Constantine reached the Division 6 Semifinals during in the COVID-shortened season. He led the Falcons in rushing as a sophomore before switching to tight end as a junior. Out of necessity, VandenBerg returned to lead Constantine in rushing and scoring again as a senior.
"Bennett learned a great deal from the older guys on the team his first three varsity seasons. He learned leadership qualities and is a very unselfish kid who is willing to do what's best for his team," Griffith said.
VandenBerg is most proud of Constantine winning a District crown last fall, especially after his senior class went 0-5-1 as eighth graders. VandenBerg posted 164 solo tackles at defensive end during his final high school season and was Constantine's main offensive weapon with 1,354 yards and 16 touchdowns rushing on 186 carries.
"Winning Districts as seniors in football was a special moment. As eighth graders, we weren't exactly the most athletic team, but we put in the work as we got older to become successful," VandenBerg said.
VandenBerg has been invited to play for the West team at the annual Michigan High School Football Coaches Association's East-West All-Star Game this summer.
College coaches have shown interest in VandenBerg in all three sports, especially football and wrestling. VandenBerg, who carries a cumulative GPA of 3.989 and scored 1110 on his SAT, is weighing his options in athletics but knows he wants to study either ecology or forestry in college.
"I love being outdoors and doing what I love to do," VandenBerg said.
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Constantine’s Bennett VandenBerg competes in the discus during a home meet his junior season. (Middle) VandenBerg, top position, battles Wyatt Spalo in their Division championship wrestling match at 285 pounds in March at Ford Field. (Below) VandenBerg (34) carries the football during a 2023 regular-season home game against Schoolcraft. (Photos by Brandon Watson/Sturgis Journal.)