‘We start new’: Belleville boasts elite playmakers on offense and defense

Belleville – Darrell Johnson took a seat near the tunnel entering Belleville’s football field late Monday afternoon, peeling the decals off his helmet before participating in the opening day of practice.

Johnson is a part of the state’s premier passing attack, joining Purdue-bound receiver Deion Burks; four-star junior Christian Rapley, who has multiple Power Five offers; and 6-foot-3 junior Jeremiah Caldwell, who has offers from Iowa State, Kentucky and Central Michigan.

When asked what he was doing, Johnson, who has multiple MAC offers, replied: “I’m peeling these decals off. We start new.”

Johnson had to peel a lot of decals off his helmet, which spoke volumes of the type of season he had in 2019, helping Belleville reach the Division 1 state semifinals for the second straight season, ending with a heartbreaking loss to Brighton.

Belleville also returns four-year starting quarterback Christian Dhue-Reid, who has 90 career TDs, closing in on the all-time state record of 124.

“I just make plays, I play multiple positions and make plays out of them,” said Johnson, who is 5-9 and 170 pounds, saying he’s put on 10 pounds since last season, eating a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. “We’ve (Johnson, Dhue-Reid) been working out together every day, really clicking well. You have to have great chemistry.”

Belleville also has an elite defense, led by five-star defensive tackle Damon Payne (Alabama), four-star linebacker Jamari Buddin (Penn State) and three-star junior cornerback Deshaun Lee, who has offers from Kentucky, Syracuse and CMU.

Payne, a two-way lineman, will be anchoring an offensive line that also consists of 6-7, 330-pound Ramier Lewis, who has offers from Michigan, Mississippi and other Power Five schools.

Burks just wants to play this fall.

“It’s nice to start camp, great to be back on the field to see everybody and compete, but it was shock to see that the Big Ten is planning on canceling their season, the MAC canceled their season, so it’s definitely scary because we don’t know if we’re the next or not,” Burks said. “But we’re going to work hard until we hear otherwise.”