Snowflake TE Tidwell takes opportunity to become a Cobber
This is No. 19 in a month-long series of profiles of Arizona high school seniors that signed with four-year colleges. Here's the full list (currently totaling 363) of players from within the state moving on to the next level.
SPOTLIGHT: 3/11/24
After attending Show Low for his first three years, Colton Tidwell moved 20 miles to the north, but remained near the White Mountains and finished his high school football career at Snowflake. The 6-1, 190-pound tight end made the most of it with his most productive season.
Tidwell had catches in 10 games for the Lobos with his high coming against Seton Catholic (three receptions for 80 yards in a 55-20 win). For the season, he had 19 catches for 359 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also providing blocking for a Snowflake running game that rushed for 2,109 yards led by juniors Kanton Turley and Karter Raban. Tidwell was named to the Second Team All-4A East Sky Region at receiver/tight end.
That led to five offers from Midwest schools in between November and February. The colleges offering Tidwell were Concordia College in Minnesota, Jamestown (N. Dak.), Luther (Iowa), Minnesota-Morris, and Concordia University in Wisconsin. The fourth of those offers came from Concordia (Minn.) in late January.
Tidwell visited the school in western Minnesota just across the Red River from Fargo, North Dakota and committed to the Cobbers' program. It wasn't a quick and easy choice for him, though.
"The decision between a few schools was a very tough choice," Tidwell said in an e-mail interview. "They were all great schools and I just picked what was the best decision for me."
In his visit, he said he was drawn to the coaches and campus right away. He also loved the academic side of things.
Concordia Moorhead is a Division III school that cannot award athletic scholarships. To help offset some of the costs, Tidwell said he was able to earn academic scholarships.
One of the adjustments Tidwell had to make in moving schools was learning a new offense with different formations and ways to get ready for Friday nights. He said he liked the way that both Show Low and Snowflake were coached.
"There was definitely a difference between the two schools," Tidwell said. "Practices and offenses were both run different. Snowflake had me more split out instead of on the line compared to Show Low."
Tidwell said although he does like blocking, he absolutely loves catching passes and that part of the game is one of his favorite things about football.
With the change in schools, he was able to take in, and be a part of, the family atmosphere at Snowflake. He is thankful for that camaraderie.
"I am going to miss the amazing traditions and environment along with the team and the coaches," Tidwell said. "Although I loved my time at Show Low, I wish I could've had more time in Snowflake and see what I could have accomplished."
What the Lobos accomplished last season was another postseason berth in their second year in the 4A Conference (moved up from 3A in 2022). Snowflake rebounded from an 0-2 start, which included a close (20-17) loss to 5A team Cactus and finished 7-3 in the regular season.
As part of moving up to 4A, Snowflake found itself in a region with Phoenix-area teams. That means early departure times and longer bus rides. The Lobos took trips to Prescott Valley, Glendale, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, and a playoff journey to Tucson (200 miles away).
"The rides were definitely long," Tidwell said. "But I never minded it too much. The rides with the guys were always a blast, but it did take some time to get used to."
Including Tidwell, a total of seven senior football players from Arizona have committed to or signed with Concordia Moorhead. The Cobbers (5-5 last season) will open its 2024 schedule at home in Jake Christiansen Stadium against Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Sept. 7.
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