Mintz: 'We reached out to Christ School'
One of the top receivers in WNC will play at Christ School next year.
Cherokee junior wide receiver Cade Mintz announced Wednesday on Twitter that he will transfer to Christ School in January.
"I'd like to thank Cherokee for everything they have done for me, but I will continue my academics at Christ School starting in January," Mintz said on Twitter.
Mintz caught 52 passes for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018.
Mintz' father, Chris, said the opportunity for his son to transfer was an opportunity he "could not pass up." Chris is and will continue to be the girls basketball coach at Cherokee.
"He's fulfilled a lot of his goal at Cherokee and this is a way he can continue to improve himself on the field and in the classroom," Chris said. "It's a tough decision for him to leave this great community in Cherokee but he has to do what is best for him."
Mintz was a integral part of Cherokee's state title run in 2017 when his older brother, Tye Mintz, was the senior quarterback for the Braves.
Mintz, who will reclassify and play as a junior next year at Christ School, will get the chance to play with Christ School quarterback Navy Shuler, who broke the area's single season passing record this year with over 4,000 yards.
Shuler's father, Heath Shuler, is a former NFL quarterback and an assistant coach for the Greenies.
"He's excited to go play with a great quarterback and have an opportunity to get coached by a guy who played in the NFL," Chris said.
Cherokee coach Kent Briggs said that Mintz had been a "big contributor over the last three years" for the Braves.
"Cherokee is a great place to be," Briggs said. "And now we'll have some good young players get a chance to step up."
Mintz is one of several WNC standouts who have transferred to Christ School in the calendar year. Franklin's Kade Chapman and West Henderson's Jasper Thompson made the move before the 2018 season started.
The move by Chapman caught criticism by Franklin coach Josh Brooks, who accused Christ School of recruiting players to the private school.
"I went through the recruiting process," Brooks said. "Bottom line, it feels good to be wanted. (Christ School) has unbelievable facilities, good coaches and players. I'm not knocking the football, but I don't agree with the process."
The NCISAA (North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association) handbook states that coaches can't make the first contact with a prospective athlete. If a contact is made by the athletes, coaches must refer them and their families to the admissions office.
Public school athletic rules that force athletes to sit out a year for athletic transfers do not apply when a student moves from public to private school.
"Private and boarding schools don’t fall under our jurisdiction,” NCHSAA spokesperson James Alverson said. “They don’t have to abide by our rules.”
Chris said that he made the first contact to inquire about his son attending Christ School. His son will board at Christ School.
"We were the first to show interest and I reached out to a parent I knew there," Chris said
One of the top receivers in WNC will play at Christ School next year.
Cherokee junior wide receiver Cade Mintz announced Wednesday on Twitter that he will transfer to Christ School in January.
"I'd like to thank Cherokee for everything they have done for me, but I will continue my academics at Christ School starting in January," Mintz said on Twitter.
Mintz caught 52 passes for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018.
Mintz' father, Chris, said the opportunity for his son to transfer was an opportunity he "could not pass up." Chris is and will continue to be the girls basketball coach at Cherokee.
"He's fulfilled a lot of his goal at Cherokee and this is a way he can continue to improve himself on the field and in the classroom," Chris said. "It's a tough decision for him to leave this great community in Cherokee but he has to do what is best for him."
Mintz was a integral part of Cherokee's state title run in 2017 when his older brother, Tye Mintz, was the senior quarterback for the Braves.
Mintz, who will reclassify and play as a junior next year at Christ School, will get the chance to play with Christ School quarterback Navy Shuler, who broke the area's single season passing record this year with over 4,000 yards.
Shuler's father, Heath Shuler, is a former NFL quarterback and an assistant coach for the Greenies.
"He's excited to go play with a great quarterback and have an opportunity to get coached by a guy who played in the NFL," Chris said.
Cherokee coach Kent Briggs said that Mintz had been a "big contributor over the last three years" for the Braves.
"Cherokee is a great place to be," Briggs said. "And now we'll have some good young players get a chance to step up."
Mintz is one of several WNC standouts who have transferred to Christ School in the calendar year. Franklin's Kade Chapman and West Henderson's Jasper Thompson made the move before the 2018 season started.
The move by Chapman caught criticism by Franklin coach Josh Brooks, who accused Christ School of recruiting players to the private school.
"I went through the recruiting process," Brooks said. "Bottom line, it feels good to be wanted. (Christ School) has unbelievable facilities, good coaches and players. I'm not knocking the football, but I don't agree with the process."
The NCISAA (North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association) handbook states that coaches can't make the first contact with a prospective athlete. If a contact is made by the athletes, coaches must refer them and their families to the admissions office.
Public school athletic rules that force athletes to sit out a year for athletic transfers do not apply when a student moves from public to private school.
"Private and boarding schools don’t fall under our jurisdiction,” NCHSAA spokesperson James Alverson said. “They don’t have to abide by our rules.”
Chris said that he made the first contact to inquire about his son attending Christ School. His son will board at Christ School.
"We were the first to show interest and I reached out to a parent I knew there," Chris said
