Hometown, work ethic bond Biadasz and Groshek
October 21, 2017 | Football, Mike Lucas
Former high school teammates helped power Badgers to victory last Saturday
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Tyler Biadasz and Garrett Groshek were likely "trending" last Saturday night among the patrons of the Ambrosia Pub and Grill and the Whitetail Lanes in their hometown of Amherst, Wisconsin.
Earlier in the day, Biadasz, the starting center, and Groshek, a reserve tailback and newbie Wildcat quarterback, had a hand in Wisconsin's win over Purdue at Camp Randall Stadium.
Amherst is a village of 1,046, two hours due north of Madison. Biadasz and Groshek helped put it on the WIAA map as members of two Division 5 state championship teams in 2012 and 2015.
"Our community supports us a lot," said Biadasz.
"They're definitely excited back home for us," Groshek said.
Ambrosia's is on Main Street. The locals recommend the steak sandwich with chive fries and a cold one from the Central Waters Brewery, known for its bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout.
"Ambrosia's," Biadasz said, "is a pretty famous restaurant for our town. It's very popular."
The Whitetail Lanes is in Amherst Junction. It features eight bowling lanes, horse shoes on Wednesdays, and co-ed volleyball on Thursdays. The Stella Burger is a classic house specialty.
Two one-third-pound beef patties, double cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon.
"Usually," Groshek said, "that's where people would hang out after our football games."
Usually they were celebrating a victory. In the WIAA playoffs, alone, the Falcons went 17-2 with those two state titles and a runner-up finish during a four-year stretch with Groshek and Biadasz.
That they shared the Wisconsin huddle last weekend against Purdue had to create a buzz in Amherst. Biadasz has started all six games at center. Groshek has been a jack-of-all-trades.
After a Boilermakers turnover in the red zone, the Badgers took over on their own 13-yard line with a 17-9 lead and 8:14 remaining in the game.
On the sixth play of the drive, Groshek lined up in the Wildcat, took a direct snap from Biadasz and ran for 18 yards. Four snaps later, he picked up 14 yards running out of the tailback position.
The Badgers ended up burning off the entire clock on a 16-play, 77-yard march.
Groshek had multiple interview requests Tuesday. Far more than usual.
Through the first five games, he had been a steady fixture on special teams and used in mop-up duty at tailback. He had a 23-yard touchdown against Utah State and 43 rushing yards at BYU.
The Wildcat was a good fit for the former triple-option quarterback.
"At the time, I was thinking we've just got to do something to get the drive going and ice the game," said the 5-foot-11, 216-pound Groshek. "I really wasn't thinking, 'Oh, this is a big situation.'
"It's football for me and I'm just going to try and get as many yards and run as hard as I can for those guys who are blocking in front of me."
One of those guys was Biadasz, who said, "I'm very proud of him and very happy for him, too. After that play (the Wildcat run), I got a smile on my face. He's really versatile."
Biadasz and Groshek don't live far apart in the Tomorrow Valley (Portage County).
"We're probably seven minutes away, which is pretty close," Groshek said. "It's a big rural area."
Groshek's dad co-owns a farm. "I don't live on the farm, but I've been on the farm growing up," Groshek said. "We had a dairy farm and once in awhile, I had to milk cows."
Biadasz didn't live on a farm, either. But his grandpa farmed right next door.
"I've known Tyler since we were in kindergarten playing flag football," said Groshek. "We were really competitive because we were usually split up on teams and always going against each other.
"You hated going against that guy. But at the same time you loved going against him because you knew it was going to be a challenge and you'd have to earn everything.
"We probably didn't play on the same team until, shoot, seventh or eighth grade. And then we were always pushing each other in the weight room."
Interjected Biadasz, "We'd push each other to the limits, I'd say."
"I like the way [we've] prepared" Coach Chryst previews Maryland
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During their junior and senior year of high school, Groshek and Biadasz were co-captains for head coach Mark Lusic, the architect of the Amherst program.
"We were similar and different," Groshek said of their leadership traits. "I was usually more calm. The quarterback has to be level-headed. He kind of led by example. Tyler is not a big talker."
Biadasz was heavily recruited by Power Five programs. Groshek was not. He got offers from North Dakota State, Mankato State, and St. Cloud State. He came to Wisconsin as a preferred walk-on.
"Madison wasn't much of an option for me until pretty late in the recruiting process," Groshek said. "I kind of just wanted to make sure that it was the right spot."
Both redshirted as true freshmen last season. Biadasz took an accelerated course on playing center, a position that he didn't play as a prep. Groshek was the scout team quarterback.
"I remember I roomed with him in the summer when he was playing quarterback his first year," said Biadasz. "He'd study plays every night and go over them with me because I had to know them, too."
Last spring, Groshek was moved to tailback; a comfortable progression for a dual threat QB who passed for 172 yards and four TDs and ran for 161 and two scores in the 2015 state title game.
Asked about Groshek's strengths, Biadasz cited his tenacity and love for the game. "He has a passion to get better every day," he said. "He does the right things on the field and off the field."
Groshek and Biadasz are living together this semester along with three other teammates. They've known each other for so long, there are no surprises between the two of them.
"His work ethic is second to none," Groshek said of Biadasz. "He's going to bust it every play and he's going to watch extra film and he's just going to attack the whole process of being a football player."
The same can be said of Groshek. In fact, he said it about himself, "I'm a football player. I don't really care at what position I'm at. I'm going to do the best that I can at the time."
It's the kind of that attitude plays well everywhere, but particularly in Amherst.
