Brothers share bond as teammates

• Grosz brothers

Press Photo by Dustin Monke Left to right, sophomore linebacker Tyler Grosz, senior receiver Clint Grosz and freshman linebacker Jay Grosz are playing their first and only season together on the Dickinson State football team. The brothers, who graduated from Mott-Regent High School, are all on the Blue Hawks’ travelling squad.

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When college football coaches called Ron Benson to inquire about Jay Grosz, there wasn’t much the Mott-Regent high school coach could say.

“Benson told them, ‘Don’t bother,’” Grosz said.

The youngest of three brothers didn’t have a hard time figuring out where he wanted to play college football. Jay followed older brothers Clint and Tyler to Dickinson State.

All three 9-man high school standouts, the brothers are in their first and only season playing and travelling together as Blue Hawks.

It’s a unique experience the Groszs say they are cherishing.

“You get to look out on the field and see your little brother play, it’s pretty cool to be a part of it,” Clint Grosz said.

The three will likely never be on the field at the same time — not unless the DSU coaching staff sets them up together on special teams — but they could care less about that.

As a receiver and running back, respectively, 22-year-old Clint and 20-year-old Tyler have been on the field together on several occasions. But, as a freshman linebacker, 19-year-old Jay sees the field sparingly and has never been on the field at the same time as his brothers.

Nevertheless, being teammates is all the brothers ask for.

“It’s kind of like if you’re worked up before a football game, it’s nice to see your brothers,” Tyler said. “It somewhat calms you down a little bit. It’s like you’re out in the backyard playing football like we did when we were little kids.”

The Groszs are far from just backyard football players though.

Clint has been a starting receiver since his sophomore season when he led the Blue Hawks in receiving yards and receptions as they struggled to a 3-7 finish, and he’s been consistent ever since.

Now a senior, Clint has 81 receptions for 1,255 yards and eight touchdowns in his career and ranks fifth on DSU’s all-time list for receptions and is sixth in receiving yards. This season, he’s been one of three primary receivers quarterback Cody Holland has looked to and has 10 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.

“Over the years, he’s given us some big plays,” DSU coach Hank Biesiot said. “He’s a guy you don’t pull back on, you go to (Clint) any time his number comes up in the huddle and you don’t feel bad about that.”

Tyler’s sophomore season hasn’t gone as well as he initially hoped. Last year as a redshirt freshman, he carried the ball 73 times for 249 yards and a touchdown.

But, because of DSU’s deep stable of running backs, and with senior James Macey playing well and shouldering the rushing load, Tyler hasn’t had much of a chance to get rolling this season. He has just six touches for 34 yards and Biesiot said that’s far less than what he should have.

“If there’s one guy on our team that should be playing more it’s probably Tyler Grosz,” Biesiot said. “We’ve just got to get him in the ball game more because he played well last year.”

Jay, a redshirt freshman, is getting chances at inside linebacker, where he backs up all-conference senior Mike Keyser, and sees the field on special teams. This year, he has seven tackles, four of which are unassisted. Coaches believe he could start at the position next season.

Even though his brothers quickly learned their talents were more offensive-orientated, Jay said he always had more of a defensive mindset and that was another reason why he chose to play football at DSU.

“I always wanted to and it’s been one of the best defenses, so it’s definitely something to take pride in,” Jay said. “It’d be pretty cool to have all three be on offense, but I think it’s worked out and it’s for the best.”

Jay has already had his glory on offense and will be remembered as one of the heroes of the Mott-Regent’s first and only state championship victory. He led both the rushing and defensive attack and even threw a touchdown pass after picking up a fumble late in the game to help the Wildfire beat Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter 16-14 in the 2007 9-man state title game.

Clint and Tyler’s teams never reached a state title game, but they still hold numerous Wildfire team records. Clint is Mott-Regent’s all-time leading receiver and spent his career catching passes from Minot State quarterback Jon Meier. No one in Mott-Regent school history has scored more points than Tyler, who also holds some rushing records.

“They’re a lot alike, but they’re unique,” said Renell Grosz, their mother. “They don’t go off the talents of their brothers. They established themselves. I’m good because I am who I am, not because I’m Clint’s brother or Tyler’s brother or Jay’s brother.”

Renell said being able to watch all three boys play together on the same team, at the same time, has been ideal for her and her husband, Lee.

“In the past years when those guys were in high school, we’d usually have to split up and one went one way and one went another,” Renell said. “It’s wonderful to be able to see them all.”

Another ideal situation about being close to home is that the brothers get a chance to return to the family’s farm and ranch about 14 miles northeast of Mott, where the Groszs and their sons raise about 170 head of cattle.

“We worked cattle without them (Wednesday) and we sure missed them,” Renell said.

With all three brothers majoring in Farm and Ranch Management, the homestead could be a little crowded.

But, that’s something the Groszs plan to think about in the future.

Right now, they’re concentrating on their final football games together.

While his time as a Blue Hawk is limited — DSU has just four games remaining in the regular season and is still in the hunt for an NAIA playoff berth — Clint said he’s not going to stop watching his brothers, something he often missed out on after he graduated from high school and began playing at DSU.

“I’m definitely going to miss it when it’s over,” Clint said. “But I’ll have three years to come back and watch these two play.

“I’ll be around.”

Tags: blue hawks, sports, grosz, football, college