GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — When Unity Christian High School won its first ever state championship in football, a pair of future NFL players — Isaac TeSlaa and Hayden Large — were on its roster.
TeSlaa, who played quarterback for the Crusaders, is now entering his second year as a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. He was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft and put together a highlight reel of acrobatic, one-handed catches as a rookie.
Large signed with the Chicago Bears this past offseason as an undrafted free agent. He'll play tight end for the team, a position he also played in high school.
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On Wednesday, I talked to Unity Christian head football coach Craig Tibbe about what it's like to have two former players in the pros, and what it's meant for the school.
"It's so fun," Tibbe said. "We're pretty proud of both of them."
Tibbe says the two trusted the path, attending smaller schools before transferring to prestigious programs. For TeSlaa, three successful receiving seasons at Hillsdale College turned into two more with the Arkansas Razorbacks. As for Large, three years at Dordt University in Iowa led to three more with the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he played both tight end and fullback.
"Step after step, it fell into place for both of them," Tibbe said.
"If you're one of the best, they'll find you," he said. "You'll always rise to the top."
When TeSlaa first took the field for the Lions, Tibbe began to watch the game differently, hoping his former player would get opportunities to shine.
"Like, dude, he's in. He's in! Let's go!" Tibbe said.
He now has to root differently, too, with Large playing for a division rival.
"I told Hayden, I said, 'Come on, the Bears? I will try really hard to like the Bears, but I'm a Lions fan,'" Tibbe said, laughing. "But we've got to be Bears fans, too."
On Thanksgiving Day, the Lions and Bears will play each other for the first time this season. The holiday tradition at Ford Field will be the first time since high school that TeSlaa and Large — who is currently recovering from a core injury — could play on the same field.
"It'll be fun," Tibbe said. "I hope we get to see that."
