It was the trip of a lifetime for four Wilmington High School graduates, with just one exception.

Brothers Mark, Matt and Michael Calandrello joined longtime friend Bob Seville on a journey to Indianapolis for Super Bowl Sunday. The only regret the four had following the memorable trip was the result of the game.

“It was heartbreaking,” said Mark. “We put the tickets on my brother’s credit card, and it made pulling out the money a lot harder the next day than it would have been if they won.”

Despite New England’s 21-17 to newly formed rival New York Giants, it was the voyage like none other.

Mark, a Marketing and Promotions Director at Mix 104.1 FM, passed on the opportunity to attend the three Patriot victories in the Super Bowl, but wasn’t going to let the chance pass him by this time.

The group flew into Chicago and rented a car, which ended up being massively cheaper than the majority of Super Bowl travelers paid to fly directly into Indianapolis.

Arriving in Indy without any tickets or party passes, the plan was to have some fun in the area, and see if the opportunity came up to buy tickets at a reasonable price. Using his connections in the music business once he arrived, Mark was able to score passes to see 50 Cent perform on Saturday night, and Barenaked Ladies in addition to a Rolling Stone party.

Then came a call that changed the direction of the weekend. Michael heard from a friend who was able to provide two free tickets to Sunday night’s game, so the four football fans decided they would try to purchase two more seats and split the cost four ways.

Lady Luck was on their side. After waiting in line at the NFL Ticket Exchange, they found two seats in Section 151 of Lucas Oil Stadium for $1,475 each. A steep price, but still cheaper than their value of about $4,000 if purchased on the secondary market. By Super Bowl standards, it truly was a great find.

“We were so lucky,” said Mark. “Everything worked out on this one. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m glad we did it.”

There were great moments during the game. Aaron Hernandez’s touchdown catch stands out to Mark. He sat 33 rows back from the Giants’ end zone in the last row of the section, and just above him within about five feet sat the NBC crew including former Patriot Rodney Harrison at a makeshift halftime set. 

There were also the moments that were tough to swallow. Giants fans outnumbered Pats fans, and obviously New York snagged a dramatic come from behind championship win – though the group didn’t hang around for the celebration.

But overall, the memories will last a lifetime for Mark, Class of 1994, Matt, Class of 1995, Michael, Class of 1987, and Seville, who also graduated from Wilmington in 1987.

“To be able to say you were there, and to get the deal we got, I don’t think it’ll ever happen again,” said Mark. “You just never know how long your team is going to be good, so you have to enjoy it now while you still can.”