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Xaverian Brothers two-sport athlete Berluti looking to make the most of senior year
Michael Berluti is a standout two-sport athlete for Xaverian Brothers High School. (Photo: Xaverian Athletics)

Xaverian Brothers two-sport athlete Berluti looking to make the most of senior year

NEWTON, Mass. (BVM) — The life of a Division I high school athlete is complicated and filled with sacrifice and commitment to their craft. That comes with playing at the highest level in Massachusetts. Add COVID-19 into the mix and it’s easy to understand how difficult it can be to prepare for a season that can change at the drop of a dime. For Michael Berluti, he doesn’t have one season to prepare for, he has two. Playing football and basketball is a challenge in and of itself, not to mention at a DI level with the seasons sometimes overlapping. 

Between practices, lifts, and meetings, it definitely cuts into studying time and you do not have a lot of free time,” Berluti said, “so you need to be able to manage your time very well to make sure you don’t slack off in school.”

Berluti’s head-on mentality towards sports is the same when it comes to schoolwork. 

“I am very organized and efficient,” Berluti said.

This allows Berluti to focus on practice while he’s at practice and not have to worry about having a lot of homework after.

Berluti’s drive and passion didn’t just come out of nowhere. It’s safe to say sports are in his blood.

Growing up in Westwood, Mass., Berluti started playing football, basketball and baseball at seven years old. Berluti’s father coached him from Pop Warner up until his seventh grade year. Berluti has three older brothers: Alex, Bo, and Matt who also played all three sports. Berluti stopped playing baseball in eighth grade to focus on high school football and basketball. 

Growing up in a sports family helped Berluti transition into high school sports smoothly. Berluti has started all three years he has played for the Hawks in both sports. Now in his senior year, he is captain of both sports teams at Xaverian. Showing leadership on and off the field as well as helping push his teammates on the court proved to pay off with his captain role being solidified on both teams.

Michael Berluti plays quarterback for the Xaverian Brothers High School football team. (Credit: Xaverian Athletics)

After playing sports for so long and each year getting more challenging, one might wonder what drives Berluti. For him, it’s a byproduct of family and his upbringing.

“Competition is something I love as I grew up competing against my brothers in everything we encounter in life not just in sports, but in small games like who can throw their empty water in the trash before the other or who can race up to the top of the stairs faster,” Berluti said. “It has been instilled in all of us from an early age that whatever you do, you do it to the best of your ability and if you’re gonna spend your time and energy doing something, you might as well win. Also, attending a D1 high school I want to play against the best competition in the state, this is why you attend a school like Xaverian, but also the support from students and some faculty at Xaverian is unreal”.

Berluti’s drive and hunger for competition is a big part of what makes him excel on the field, on the court, and in life. However, COVID affected the country and especially sports in a way that no one could expect. As much as COVID is out of Berluti’s control, the way he responds through his work ethic just shows his professionalism.

Now in his senior year with COVID in full effect, the future of sports, in general, is uncertain. However, Berluti has made the most of his preparation. Trying to make the offseason as normal as possible, Belruti did what he knew he could: grind.

“For football, we have been able to lift and run since June, three times a week with regulations and limitations of course as there are a limited number of kids in the weight room and we social distance on the field which our coaches have been doing a very good job with,” Berluti said. “The athletic department allowed us to have 12 sessions this fall that were 75 minutes long three times a week which was great. Basketball is planning much the same to have some skills and drills with a limited number of kids in the basketball gym as the plan is to play games after Jan 1.”  

Berluti’s family is a big part of what made him the young man he is today. The Xaverian Brothers’ community feel and true togetherness also complimented Berluti’s lifestyle and playing style. Even with COVID in full effect, Berluti used his drive and hunger to stay positive and busy preparing for his senior season of football and basketball.

Berluti has a long year ahead of him, hopefully filled with wins. As for the future, Berluti is looking at Tufts University to further his education and playing career. He plans to follow in his father’s footsteps at Tufts and in true Berluti style make his family proud as well as prove to himself he has what it takes to make it at the next level.