Physically, Michael Mincey is literally a man among boys. The 6-foot, 220-pound eighth grader already has a physique that hints at next-level greatness. The son of Ykisso Lewis and the late Michael Mincey Sr., he is a two-way star making his mark as both a power fullback and a defensive lineman who punishes opposing ball carriers. Those closest to him say the younger Mincey brings an undeniable air of familiarity to the fold. It has been just over a year since the passing of Michael Mincey Sr., the fifth of six football-playing brothers; Otha, Tony, Jerry, Sandy, and Greg are the others.
“I call him ‘MJ,’ but his dad called him ‘Mike-Mike,’” Lewis said. “He is Michael Sr. all over again, except he’s quiet and Big Mike liked to joke. The past few months he has been talking about his dad, and on my birthday MJ told me he was going to make a touchdown for me. He made a touchdown and pointed to the sky for his daddy to acknowledge.”
“I like playing fullback because that was my daddy’s position, and I have his number (#42), too,” the young prodigy said. “At first when I was playing tackle, I wasn’t really hitting people. Then when I’d see my daddy, I’d get physical. I like hitting people now. It gets me hyped.”
“Michael started for me as a sixth grader on the line,” Waycross Middle School coach Kevin Stevenson said. “He was thick and chubby (240 lbs), but last year he started losing some of the ‘baby fat,’ and we moved him to tight end. He’s an athletic kid, and I moved him to fullback. When we went to Valdosta in our scrimmage game, he scored two touchdowns and had several runs of 20 yards. There were kids that when he got open seemed like they were running from him.”
Such stories hearken more comparisons to Michael Mincey Sr., who played at Pierce County High in the 1990s. One of the elder Mincey’s teammates in those days was James Doe, now a Ware County High assistant. Doe, a backfield mate to Mincey Sr., is the godfather to Mincey Jr.
“Michael wants to run the ball, and he’s got to work more on his footwork,” Doe said. “He’s got to work on his hands and shooting off the blocks. But he is very solid. I took him to the gym with me one day, and he was doing what I was doing. He’s very strong, and he reminds me so much of Mike. Me and his dad were best friends, just like brothers, and one key thing I’ve been drilling with Michael is his grades and his education.”
Mincey Jr., who achieved five years of perfect attendance at school over one stretch, named Gina Howell and Amy Fitzgerald as being among his favorite teachers. He aspires to follow in the footsteps of his mom, who earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. His favorite subjects are math and science.
“I want to study forensic weapons, and math and science are the best for that,” Mincey said. “I like to add numbers and deal with how things happen and problem solving. My godfather talks to me about my grades and shows me things I need to do so I can succeed. It’s not just about how to play football, but how to get stronger, and how to be respectful to my mama. He’s just been there for me.”
The running back boasts impressive weight room numbers: He benches 205 pounds, squats 235, and cleans 185. But his numbers on the field have drawn his opponents’ respect. The Bulldogs got out of the gates in 2016 with shutout wins over Jeff Davis (28-0), Long County (54-0), and Martha Puckett (41-0). Over that stretch, Mincey carried nine times for 130 yards (14.4 avg.) and three touchdowns. Defensively, he tallied 22 tackles including nine tackles for loss. He had three quarterback sacks against Martha Puckett.
Come spring, Mincey says he’ll either play baseball or run track. He likes the challenge of the 100-meter and 200-meter events and admires the talents of Olympic sprinters in that discipline. He also welcomes the opportunity to participate in the 4×100 meter event, his mother’s specialty. He admires Georgia Bulldog running back Nick Chubb and hopes to one day himself play at UGA. Afterward there are pro aspirations, where Mincey looks to earn a paycheck that he can use to bring niceties to his mother. “I’ll buy her a two-story house, a car, and some shoes,” Mincey said. “And I’ll get somebody to build her a pool.”
“MJ is humble, and he’ll give you his best,” Lewis said. “He’ll go outside and mow the yard without me telling him. He is loving and caring and loves being outside with his little brother, Treyvontae Hargrove. He likes teaching his brother the protocols of football. As Michael was going through the trials of losing his father, Treyvontae, who lost his father three years ago, told Michael to lean on God, and Michael started to gain more strength.”
Mincey Jr. echoes his mother’s words, citing similar traits for which he most wants to be remembered. “I want people to say that I’m smart, intelligent, like to learn, am caring and open-hearted, a leader, and that I am helpful,” Mincey said. Like his mother, Mincey also acknowledges God as having been instrumental in his life. He furthermore cites the influence of several rec league and travel ball coaches, including coach Shedrick Payne and coach “Nose” (Kenneth King). Additional motivation and inspiration have been drawn from grandmothers Hazel Lewis and Edith Mincey and cousin Rock Taylor. Of course, there are also the relationships with his current teammates.
“We just take one game at a time, and we stick together,” Mincey said. “My teammates and I are like brothers. We don’t get mad at each other; we work together and take it one game at a time. “
His coach sees a bright future for the keeper of the Mincey flame. “He’ll definitely be playing somewhere for Ware County next year,” Stevenson said. “I don’t know the grand scheme yet that coach (Franklin) Stephens has for him yet, but I coached Tre Jackson and T.Y. McGill (both are now in the NFL) in middle school, and Michael is the same exact way. If he does like he is supposed to, he’ll be playing someday on Saturdays and Sundays.”
“Mike-Mike reminds me of his daddy in the way he approaches the game: He loves to hit people and has no fear – that and always having his brother’s back and his willingness to help people.” – Otha “Freight Train” Mincey, uncle to Mincey Jr. and a former standout fullback at Patterson High School.
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Chip Off the Old Block
Written by John DuPont
Photo by Jennifer Carter Johnson
