Manchester Looks to Showcase Speedy “Brand New” Offense in ‘26 Campaign

Photos by Hannah Tacy & Henry Black, JTV Sports

Trey Richmond | JTV Sports

Wednesday, August 5th

(8-5-2026, 12:00PM): Manchester will “get [our] guys in space and let them run this year” says head coach Joshua Lindeman.

After a 5-5 record in the 2025 regular season and a playoff appearance, Joshua Lindeman is entering his third season leading the Flying Dutchmen. He’s calling the “brand new” offense and will be looking to showcase the speed of his players. “There’s no sense in having one of your fastest teams ever and trying to run power off tackle all day long,” said Lindeman. Manchester has “five guys that can fly with the ball,” he added. “I joined this profession to give back.. there were many men in my life that had a giant impact on the man I became… so the ultimate goal is to help these men become men I would let my daughter marry,” said Lindeman. He continued with, “No matter how many games we win, as a staff, we will judge how good this team is by the type of men they become.” A mantra they go by is, “let’s get better today men.”

One of those players is senior running back Jayden Johnson who is the track state champion in the 200 meter dash. Johnson was a member of the 2025 Cascades all conference team alongside his teammates; senior offensive tackle Seth Myers and junior defensive back Gavin Horky.

Lindeman believes, “If you have a fast team, you have a punchers chance in every game… you’re going to be hard to keep off the scoreboard.”

The team is remembering their 5-5 record and have been using that memory as fuel for this off-season and upcoming season. That 5-5 record was complimented by more symmetry in both allowing and scoring 210 points. Manchester looks to sustain drives more on offense in order to assist the defense that kept them in games last year. The Flying Dutchmen will feature a “high intensity” defense led by defensive coordinator Tom Johns.

“Week one is the marquee game right now [Sand Creek] and it really sets the tone for the entire season,” says Lindeman.

2026 Manchester Football Schedule:

(all games at 7pm unless noted)

THU 8/27 (4:30pm) @ Sand Creek

9/3: vs Addison

9/11: vs Michigan Center

9/18: @ Grass Lake

9/25: @ Jonesville

10/2: vs Leslie

10/9: vs Vandercook Lake

10/16: TBD (Cascades Crossover)

10/23: @ Hillsdale