Just reaching a Super Bowl is tough. Bradenton’s Brian Poole and Sharrod Neasman deserve cheers even in a heartbreaking Atlanta Falcons loss.

There’s no celebration in the ATL or in B’Town for Hometown Heroes Brian Poole and Sharrod Neasman capturing the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LI.

New England’s comeback from a 25-point deficit changed all that.

But the two should still be celebrated locally.

It’s really, really, really hard to get to a Super Bowl.

Just ask Barry Sanders.

One of the best running backs in history, Sanders ran for more than 15,000 yards in his career. He scored 99 touchdowns, too, in a 153-game career that spanned 10 seasons.

But he never reached the Super Bowl and retired from the Detroit Lions after the 1998-99 season.

It’s tough to get to a Super Bowl.

Just ask Dan Marino.

The best quarterback in Miami Dolphins history threw for more than 5,000 yards and 48 touchdowns in 1984. His second season in the league yielded a trip to Super Bowl XIX.

Marino continued his excellence, but Miami never returned to the Big Game in the remaining seasons of his 17-year career.

It’s difficult to get to a Super Bowl.

Just ask Dick Butkus.

An eight-time Pro Bowler and considered one of the best linebackers in history, Butkus came after Chicago’s famed “Monsters of the Midway” teams. But he embodied that nickname just as much as the players before him.

The Hall of Famer, though, never reached a Super Bowl or an NFC championship game for that matter, and he retired early due to injury.

It’s an arduous task to get to a Super Bowl.

So let’s rejoice in the accomplishments for Poole, a Southeast High alumnus, and Neasman (Braden River), two East Bradenton players who went from undrafted to free agent signing to the Super Bowl in their rookie seasons.

Let’s hope it’s not the last, but let’s bask in their hard work and determination to make their NFL dreams a reality.

After all, they’re Hometown Heroes.

Here’s the rest of this week’s notables:

Danny Lee: The Manatee High alumnus went 3-for-5 with two RBIs as the University of Tampa’s leadoff hitter on Sunday. UT is ranked No. 2 in the nation for Division II baseball, and the Spartans swept Bentley with Sunday’s 5-4 victory that saw State College of Florida alums contribute eight of the team’s 11 hits. Lee is one of those SCF alums.

Andrew DiLacqua: One of three SCF alums to start for the University of Tampa’s baseball team in Sunday’s series finale with Bentley. DiLacqua, of Lakewood Ranch, played his high school ball at IMG Academy. Against Bentley on Sunday, he went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, a run scored and a walk. Teammate and former SCF standout Richie Rivera, of St. Petersburg, went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two runs scored.

Danielle Valley: The Lakewood Ranch High alumnae is in her senior season swimming for Wisconsin. She’s prepping for the 2017 Big Ten Championships next week. Valley swam against Green Bay in a recent meet, winning the 500-yard freestyle event with a time of 4:51.08.

This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 12:24 AM with the headline "Just reaching a Super Bowl is tough. Bradenton’s Brian Poole and Sharrod Neasman deserve cheers even in a heartbreaking Atlanta Falcons loss.."