Not only was he among the state’s best high school football players in 2014, but he became the latest in a long line of Cedar Bluff Tigers to be a finalist for either the Alabama Sportswriter Association’s Class 1A Lineman or Back of the Year honor.

Mintz finished second to Maplesville’s Tyler Armstrong in the Class 1A Lineman of Year balloting. Donoho’s Justin Foster was the other Class 1A Lineman of the Year nominee.

Mintz had a tremendous senior year for the Tigers (7-6). On offense, he graded out at 96-percent, allowing no sacks or penalties, with 52 pancake blocks. On defense, Mintz posted 112 total tackles, including nine for lost yardage, three sacks, three pass breakups, two fumbles recovered (1 for a 10-yard touchdown) and two interceptions (1 for a 75-yard touchdown) in helping Cedar Bluff earn its first state quarterfinal berth since 2006.

“It’s such an honor to be among these guys,” Mintz said. “They’re tops in the state, and a lot of them will go on to do great things. I’ve actually played against the (Foster) guy from Donoho. He’s a great guy and a heck of an athlete, and I’m sure the (Armstrong) guy from Maplesville is also. He took his team to state, so to be considered among them is such an honor.”

Cedar Bluff coach Jonathan McWhorter said he couldn’t think of a better way for Mintz’s high school football career to end.

“He’s a five-year letter winner for us. He’s played since the eighth grade. He’s been a full-time three-year starter for us. He’s really been an anchor for us since he was a sophomore,” McWhorter said. “He took on an even bigger role (last season). He leads by his actions, so I challenged him and the other seniors this year to be more vocal, and he’s done that. He did a great job for us this year. To be a team captain, to be First-Team All-State, to be one of the finalists for Class 1A Lineman of the Year, it doesn’t get much better than that.”

McWhorter also said he was proud to see Mintz join the list of Cedar Bluff players who have been invited to the Player of Year banquet.

“We’ve had Josh Moten, Josh Hampton, Jeremy Bryant, Jamie Hampton and Austin Hayes, and now Jake,” McWhorter said. “That’s pretty good company when you look back over the careers those guys had and the teams they were part of. Jake is now part of the tradition we have at our place. We’re all proud of the football tradition we have at Cedar Bluff. We hope to build on those things in the future.”

Next up for Mintz is deciding where to play at the next level. He said his top two choices are between Samford University in Birmingham or Berry College in Rome, Ga. He said he wants to major in the medical field.

“I really believe my (high school) career ended the best that it could,” Mintz said. “The individual awards are great, but I would have liked to have won a state championship. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but I’m really honored being here.”

Wednesday’s top award winner was Madison Academy senior Kerryon Johnson. Johnson, the Class 3A Back of the Year, won the ASWA Mr. Football award.

Johnson bounced back from injuries as a junior to help the Mustangs win their third-straight state title by rushing for 1,659 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 598 yards and eight TDs and had 71 tackles, forced five fumbles and picked up six interceptions, returning three for touchdowns.

The three-time first-team All-State selection was the Class 3A Back of the Year, MVP of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game and the Under Armour All-American Bowl. Johnson has committed to play football at Auburn.

Since the ASWA first released point totals in 2003, Johnson’s win was the closest three-player race since 2004 when 15 points separated Hoover’s Jarod Bryant, Pinson Valley’s Desmond Jennings and Trinity’s Tommy Trott.

Johnson picked up 148 points and eight of the 13 first-place votes from the ASWA prep committee.

Dale County’s Jamarius Henderson, the Class 3A Lineman of the Year, and Clay-Chalkville quarterback Ty Pigrome, the 6A Back of the Year, tied for second with 137 points each and Shades Valley running back Keith Mixon was fourth with 81 points. Central-Tuscaloosa’s Lester Cotton and Fyffe running back Austin Stiefel were fifth and sixth with 62 and 47 points, respectively.

All six players were selected for the ASWA Super 12 team, along with Southside-Gadsden’s Tyler Carr, Dora’s A.J. Smoot, Keaton Anderson of Florence, Troy Dixon of UMS-Wright and Hoover’s Darrell Williams and R.J. Arnold.

In winning the Mr. Football award, Johnson becomes the first winner from the Huntsville area and first private school winner since the ASWA started choosing winners after the 1982 season, and the third running back in the last four years. He is the second member of his family to win the ASWA’s highest post-season honor. His brother Kerron Johnson was the ASWA’s Mr. Basketball winner in 2009.

All Backs/Linemen of the Year award winners are listed below with point totals, along with the ASWA’s Super 12.

AISA Back

Josh Crawford, Edgewood Academy

AISA Lineman

Garrett Kirk, Escambia Academy

Class 1A Back

Tyler Crumpton, Phillips, 60

Kendarius Bradley, Maplesville, 44

Chandler Rigdon, Chickasaw, 36

Class 1A Lineman

Tyler Armstrong, Maplesville, 48

Jake Mintz, Cedar Bluff, 38

Justin Foster, Donoho, 28

Class 2A Back

Austin Stiefel, Fyffe, 67

Peyton Gilliland, Cleveland, 51

DeAnthony Holcombe, Washington County, 44

Class 2A Lineman

Deshon Kilpatrick, Sweet Water, 63

Austin Lewter, Tanner, 62

Dakota Newsome, Fyffe, 52

Class 3A Back

Kerryon Johnson, Madison Academy, 70

Thomas Ozmint, Glencoe, 44

Zack Simbeck, Lauderdale County, 35

Class 3A Lineman

Jamarius Henderson, Dale County, 56

Jeffery Whatley, Dale County, 37

Mason Brown, Glencoe, 30

Class 4A Back

Troy Dixon, UMS-Wright, 55

Kyle Nalls, Fayette County, 53

Octavius Matthews, North Jackson, 47

Class 4A Lineman

Anfernee Jennings, Dadeville, 70

Josephus Smith, Leeds, 45

Riley Cole, Oneonta, 40

Class 5A Back

Brandon Baynes, Tallassee, 50

Ostin McPherson, St. Paul’s, 46

ShaKeith Tyes, Calera, 45

Class 5A Lineman

A.J. Smoot, Dora, 47

Lester Cotton, Central-Tuscaloosa, 37

Richard McBryde, Charles Henderson, 31

Class 6A Back

Ty Pigrome, Clay-Chalkville, 68

Keith Mixon, Shades Valley, 46

Chris Weaver, Saraland, 36

Class 6A Lineman

Tyler Carr, Southside-Gadsden, 71

Keaton Anderson, Florence, 69

Darryl Williams, Bessemer City, 54

Class 7A Back

Grey Jackson, Fairhope, 31

Traveon Samuel, Central-Phenix City, 25

Maceo Booker, James Clemens, 24

Class 7A Lineman

R.J. Arnold, Hoover, 36

Darrell Williams, Hoover, 27

Kenny Thomas, Prattville, 22

SUPER 12

Kerryon Johnson, Madison Academy, 148

Jamarius Henderson, Dale County, 137

Ty Pigrome, Clay-Chalkville, 137

Keith Mixon, Shades Valley, 81

Lester Cotton, Central-Tuscaloosa, 62

Austin Stiefel, Fyffe, 47

Tyler Carr, Southside-Gadsden, 46

A.J. Smoot, Dora, 42

Darrell Williams, Hoover, 38

Keaton Anderson, Florence, 34

R.J. Arnold, Hoover, 26

Troy Dixon, UMS-Wright, 22