Two former high school football standouts in Dallas County are excelling at the next stage of their lives.

Defensive end Michael Johnson, a former Dallas County High School standout, is about to complete his 10^th NFL season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Former Selma High star Ben Obomanu no longer plays wide receiver in the NFL, but he received his law degree at the University of Alabama during the spring. He also served as the president of the Black Law Students Association and student ombudsperson for the Honor Council.

Johnson graduated from Dallas County in 2005 and earned All-American honors at Georgia Tech in 2008. The Cincinnati Bengals picked Johnson in round three of the 2009 NFL Draft

The 31-year-old Johnson is equally impressive off the field. His MJ 93/90 Foundation does a lot of charity events in the city, including the Veterans Day breakfast held on the Friday before Veterans Day at Wallace Community College Selma.

Obomanu played on Auburn’s unbeaten team in 2004, producing seven touchdown catches and had 25 receptions for 359 yards. He finished with 97 receptions for 1,313 yards and 18 touchdowns in four years down on the Plains.

Seattle picked Obomanu in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He spent six years with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL, where he caught 83 passes for 1,151 yards and seven touchdowns in five seasons. He was on the practice squad as a rookie. He was released in 2013.

Johnson and Obomanu were both valedictorians of their high school class.