Two Falcons heading to Wisconsin
By Greg Seubert
Tyler Biadasz, Garrett Groshek and Ben Gutschow are three big reasons why the Amherst football team won a Division 5 state championship last season.
All three now have an opportunity to take their football skills to the college level.
Biadasz and Groshek signed a National Letter of Intent Feb. 3 with the University of Wisconsin, while Gutschow is heading to St. Cloud State, a Division 2 program in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Biadasz is one of four state players to receive a full-ride scholarship offer from the Badgers, while Groshek will try to make the team as a walk-on.
“Only four guys in the state of Wisconsin got (a full-ride scholarship) and 25 overall,” Amherst coach Mark Lusic said of Biadasz, the Central Wisconsin-8 Conference’s defensive player of the year last year.
“It’s great and I’m so proud of him,” he said. “He wanted to go to Madison as a freshman. That was his goal and he got his dream. Now he gets to play at the next level and I’m so excited for him.”
Biadasz is one of two CWC-8 to receive a scholarship offer from a Big 10 Conference football program. Iola-Scandinavia’s Kristian Welch is headed to Iowa.
“Unbelievable,” Lusic said. “Two D1 scholarships, two small schools, that’s very impressive. I wish Kristian Welch the very best over at Iowa. It was a magical season for us and the conference, also.”
“It’s a dream for me since I was a kid,” Biadasz said. “To accomplish that goal is a great feeling, but I’m not done. I want to pursue other dreams and make more memories. This is the lifestyle I always wanted and now it’s here.”
He verbally committed last summer two days after UW coach Paul Chryst offered the scholarship.
“I didn’t have to worry about it, but then again, you also want to prove that you’re worth that,” Biadasz said.
Biadasz and the Falcons went on to win the Division 5 state championship in November with a 42-0 win over Spencer/Columbus Catholic at Camp Randall Stadium, where the Badgers play their home games.
Groshek, the team’s quarterback the past three seasons, was named the CWC-8’s offensive player of the year. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association also named him the state’s top offensive player.
“Whoever gets him’s going to be happy,” Lusic said. “He’s a heck of a talent, a heck of a player, he’s got great leadership skills. He may not be the 4.4 runner or the 6-5 guy, but the intangibles will carry him to success.
“He’s carried us the last three years on the offensive side of the ball,” he added. “We’re going to miss him, but we’ll be alright.”
“They told me anywhere from running back, wide receiver, defensive back to linebacker,” Groshek said. “It really depends on that first summer and the next couple of years.”
Groshek didn’t receive a scholarship offer, but doesn’t mind.
“My goal’s always going to be to get on the field,” he said. “I wouldn’t be going on to play college football if I didn’t love football. Usually, that comes with getting on the field, but I can control what I can control. Right now, it’s lifting weights, getting ready, figuring out the system and stuff like that. That’s what I’m really focused on.”
Other schools also showed interest, he said, including North Dakota State, which signed former Amherst player Andy Trzebiatowski last year.
“I had a great relationship with their coaches,” Groshek said. “That’s a place I’ve been to three or four times in the last three years, so I was definitely comfortable there. I had buddies that had gone there. Winona State offered me to play quarterback. Quarterback’s intriguing, but I really wanted to be able to prove myself at the highest level. Madison was the place to go.”
Lusic expects Gutschow, a first-team CWC-8 safety as a senior, to get some playing time at St. Cloud State.
“St. Cloud State’s lucky to have him,” he said. “He started for three years for us. The work ethic Ben has is great and I think he’ll have a great chance to play there. He’ll probably redshirt his first year, as most freshman do, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“Two years ago, I wouldn’t have said he’s going D2, but after his junior year, I thought he had a chance,” he said. “I had no doubt he could play at the next level after this year.”
All three players suited up for the Falcons on their state championship teams in 2012 and 2015.
Chryst talked about Amherst’s program Feb. 3 in Madison while discussing his latest recruiting class.
“You’re talking about a guy that both the offense and D-line coaches would like to work with from a winning program,” he said of Biadasz. “Mom, dad, brother, you get to know them and it’s like, OK, this guy’s got some stance to him, he’s not afraid of work and he’s a great fit here.
“I think there is something about guys that have been in winning programs, but you wouldn’t just start there and not recruit,” he said. “We’ve got other ones that we’re excited about that didn’t win as many games, but I think it’s certainly pretty neat what they’ve done.”
Lusic won’t be able to coach the three players again, but he can still watch them play.
“That’s the best part about this, I get to continue to follow these guys,” he said. “It’s great for everybody to have the chance to watch these guys play again.”