After a historic season in 2022, sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa received a tremendous honor at the Charger football program's annual postseason banquet on Sunday, Nov. 14.
TeSlaa was honored with the Roy Beck Most Valuable Player Award for the 2022 season at the banquet, held in the Biermann Athletic Center. The MVP award was decided by a vote among all the players on Team 130.
The sophomore joins Trey Brock and Chad Gurica as the only wide receivers in the last 20 years to receive team MVP honors. Brock also won the award as a sophomore in 2016, the first of three straight years he received team MVP honors for the Chargers.
TeSlaa is certainly a deserving winner after one of the all-time great seasons in Charger history. TeSlaa's 1,325 receiving yards in a single-season are surpassed only by Brock's 1,422 yards in 2018 and NFL veteran Andre Holmes' mark of 1,368 in 2010 – and both of those players set those marks in 13 games versus TeSlaa's 11 thanks to playoff runs for the Chargers in those seasons.
TeSlaa's 13 touchdown catches are also third all-time in Chargers history for a single season, and his 68 total receptions rank ninth all-time in a single season in program history. He's a lock for additional individual honors as All-Conference, All-Region and All-American teams are announced over the coming weeks.
Several other Chargers received awards for their strong play during the 2022 season. Additional honorees include:
Howard R. "Champ" Messenger II Award – Nathan LaFree
Leonard Urbanik Award for Scholarship, Leadership and Ability – Michael Harding
Outstanding Offensive Lineman – Nick Affholter
Joe Vijuk Outstanding Defensive Lineman – Kendall Tobin
Outstanding Offensive Back – Michael Herzog
Ralph Miller III Outstanding Linebacker – Kyle Kudla
Outstanding Defensive Back – Vince Francescone
E.P.E.P (Every Player Every Play) Award – Whit Lewis and Logan VanEnkevort
One Play Warrior Award – Riley Tolsma
Captain's Award -- Luke Keller, Kyle Kudla, Nathan LaFree, Ryan Sellars
You can find photos from the 2022 Football Banquet here.
Photos by Anthony Lupi