Sometimes, if you want to chase a dream, you have to get up.
Early.
That is something that Salvatore Lupoli Jr. and Matt Severance know all about. When the two were just freshmen at Bentley, they — along with Joe Howshan — woke up at 4 in the morning, went to the athletic facility, and banged on the door until a janitor let them in. From there, they started their day, on a mission to make themselves better football players.
“It wasn’t great at the time, waking up, I’ll tell you that,” Severance said. “But I guess it paid off.”
It sure did. Lupoli, a linebacker who is converting to safety, and Severance, a cornerback, have been invited to rookie minicamps of the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.
For each, it was a dream come true.
“They actually called me up (Monday) morning,” Lupoli said. “It was the head Northeast scout. He was just saying, ‘I’m looking at your film right here. You have pretty good instincts. How would you like to come down for rookie minicamp?’ I was just ecstatic. I was so, so happy.”
“I would say right now, it’s kind of surreal,” Severance said. “I always thought I was capable of playing at that level. I felt like I could compete with anyone. It was just a matter of being in front of the right eyes. Now that it’s here, obviously pretty exciting, something I’ve always been working for and dreamed of. Just excited to be out there and keep playing football. That’s the biggest part. Always been a football junkie. Always wanted to keep going. Got blessed with the opportunity to keep playing, at least for now, right?”
Scott Boyle, who was an assistant at Bentley last year and now leads Lowell High, feels the opportunity could not be given to better individuals.
“Both of them are mirror images: humble; great leaders; and, teammates,” Boyle said. “It’s very rare these days when you see guys that are that genuine, and that hard working, and that well respected. I felt fortunate as a coach to land in that spot last fall and coach those two guys.”
It was a highlight for both to tell their parents, people who have seen the struggle to get to that point every step of the way. It is always an underdog story when a player from a D2 program tries to make it to the NFL. But both players never stopped believing in themselves.
“It feels amazing because, always being overlooked, now we’re in the same spot,” Lupoli said. “We’re now in the same room as Alabama kids, Boston College kids, and everyone that doubted me, and everyone that told me I was never going to do it. I can just smile to myself knowing that, well, here I am. All the college coaches that told me no. All the recruiting visits that didn’t end up happening. Here I am, the same room as them.”
“I think early on, when I was a freshman or sophomore in college, when I first got to Bentley, it was tough for me because I always wanted to play Division 1,” Severance said. “I just didn’t get the opportunity. It was tough. But I always grew up playing good competition. I never felt like I was overmatched, and I always felt like I could play with anyone. It was just a matter of time and building up my confidence at Bentley. It’s always been in the back of my mind, I always felt like I was capable of playing. It was just a matter of who was going to give me the opportunity.”
Now they’ve got it. And no matter what, neither is going to get outworked. But maybe they can hit the snooze bar when the clock strikes 4 a.m.