Rising junior Andreas Nicolaidis of Central Catholic already one of most accomplished players at Les Schwab Bowl
He’s already a state champion.
He’s already received Division I college offers.
He’s already garnered all-league and all-state honors.
And he’s been selected to play in this week’s Les Schwab Bowl.
That’s all impressive enough, but it’s even more eye-opening because he hasn’t even started his junior year in high school.
Despite all the early accolades and accomplishments, don’t misjudge Andreas Nicolaidis. For the Central Catholic junior-to-be, with all of his politeness and humbleness, it’s all about the team, and all about other people.
That includes his selection to Team Columbia for the Les Schwab Bowl, an all-star high school football game featuring many top players from around the state, which will be played Friday at Lewis & Clark College in Portland.
“It’s honestly super amazing, just being with a lot of my guys from Central Catholic,” Nicolaidis said after a Team Columbia practice. “It’s also great to meet new people and build some new relationships. It’s cool to meet outside the competitiveness of being on other teams — now we’re all just one family, all on one team.”
The team — that seems to be the most important thing to the gifted 6-foot-3, 235-pound tight end.
During his sophomore season, Nicolaidis, a second-team all-Mt. Hood Conference selection and a Class 6A honorable mention all-state pick, helped the Rams go 13-0 and earn the Class 6A state championship.
Nicolaidis stepped up in the title game, a 49-21 win over Tualatin. He had a 51-yard reception down the left sideline that set up a touchdown run by Tyson Davis. He had a 12-yard catch that set up a touchdown reception by fellow tight end Dexter Foster.
Nicolaidis gets a smile when he talks about the title-game win, but not because of his play in the contest.
“That was honestly so amazing,” he said of winning the championship. “I know we had a lot of seniors who won a ring two years ago, and I think it was really big for them to do it again, because they had a bigger role as seniors. It was great to help send them off with another ring.”
When asked about his goals for the upcoming high school season, his answer had nothing to do with catches, yards or touchdowns.
“For me, it’s really to elevate the rest of the team,” Nicolaidis said. “I really want to take on a leadership role. Absolutely, I want to be a leader. That’s what I take a lot into my personal life, and I take a lot of pride in being a leader and trying to be a young mentor.”
Once again, it’s all about the team.
“Honestly, I just want to build camaraderie with the new squad coming in next year, and we’ve also got a new head coach in Charlie Landgraf,” Nicolaidis said. “I’m just super pumped and super excited to get going with them. We’re looking to build this offseason, and I think it’s going to be a really good season.”
Nicolaidis might not want to talk about his accomplishments, but the colleges have sure noticed.
“I’ve gotten a lot of interest. There are three offers so far, and probably more on the way. I’m just giving it all to God’s plans,” Nicolaidis said. “I’ve got Colorado State, UNLV (University of Nevada at Las Vegas), and I should be getting Arizona State on the way. I’ve got interest from schools like Washington, Washington State, Oregon.”
While the future certainly appears to be bright for Nicolaidis, right now he’s enjoying his time, along with his teammates, old and new, getting ready for Friday’s Les Schwab Bowl.
“It’s been so amazing, being out in the sunshine, playing with our guys, doing what we do,” he said. “To be honest, winning isn’t really the goal for me, personally. I think it’s just going to be awesome playing out here with our guys and having fun. Really, the goal is to just showcase all of our individual talents, and to also build families.”
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Proceeds from this year’s Les Schwab Bowl, presented by Express Employment Professionals, will benefit the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association general scholarship fund, the Brayden Bafaro Scholarship Fund and various youth charities.
This is the 76th game in the series, but just the third that won’t be North vs. South. Instead, players were drafted by the Team Columbia coaching staff, with head coach Steve Pyne, who led Central Catholic to the 2023 Class 6A state title, and by the Team Willamette coaching staff, with head coach Adam Guenther, who guided Wilsonville to the Class 5A state crown.
In last year’s game, the second under this format, Team Columbia posted a 42-13 win over Team Willamette, giving Team Columbia a 2-0 lead in the brief series under the current format.
Gates will open at 4 p.m. Saturday, with food carts and a beer/wine garden on site. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Tickets for the game, starting at $15, can be purchased online at lesschwabbowl.com/tickets.
DAN BROOD