A.J. Dillon (college football player) and Cam Whalen (high school soccer player) appear to share very little, aside from hailing from this corner of the world.

Dillon is a New London kid playing football at Boston College.

Whalen is a Stonington kid playing soccer for his undefeated high school team.

Dillon is African American and built like a Buick. Whalen is white with flowing locks of blond hair, thus making those of us folically challenged insanely jealous.

And yet their actions over the past few days suggest some spontaneous kinship. They’ve reinforced lessons we all know too well, but perhaps need to learn all over again.

The lessons:

Hard work … works.

We are all owed nothing.

And there is a certain magic in effort over entitlement.

Dillon has been a talking point in college football all week for his notable spin-and-stiff arm of a 216-pound safety at Louisville, en route to a 75-yard touchdown run. Dillon discarded the defender with one arm, illustrating equal parts resourcefulness and power.

Whalen, meanwhile, executed a throw-in, a means to restart play in soccer, with uncommon power and distance the other day in a game against Bacon Academy. It was hard to tell if the ball’s flight came from Whalen’s throw-in or another kid’s corner kick.

Know how Dillon and Whalen came to possess such talents?

They worked their ascots off for them.

No, really. They worked for them. You know. Work. That old thing.

Dillon: a monster in the weight room who was watching tape of former LSU great Leonard Fournette, asking that Fournette’s infamous stiff arm become part of BC practice drills. The coaches agreed. The result: a play for the ages at BC.

Whalen: Practiced throw-ins most of his soccer-playing life with a medicine ball.

“I can’t tell you how many medicine ball throws I’ve thrown,” Whalen said after Stonington’s win the other day. The result: a unique talent that is among the Bears’ most valuable weapons.

And through the unspoken passion of constant effort, two young men not only are helping their teams win, but providing themselves a foundation for later in life.

If I want this bad enough, I’ll work for it.

Sure beats having mommy and daddy browbeat the coach into submission, doesn’t it?

Dillon’s stiff arm has already helped New London football coach Juan Roman, who is a big weight room guy. Unfortunately, not enough of his players bought in this past offseason, leaving the Whalers too frail for his liking. Dillon’s one action was worth a thousand of Roman’s words.

“You know what that was?” New London senior Gio Lopez said the other day after seeing Dillon’s play. “Weight room. All weight room.”

And now Roman can show that play 24/7 to current and future Whalers. Sure, Dillon has some God-given ability others don’t. But look what he’s doing with it. He gets stronger by the day. He watches film of others.

Current and future soccer players can look to Whalen as a beacon as well. Sure, Whalen has God-given athletic ability, evidenced by capturing The Day’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year award last year. But he’s made himself into a game-changer in soccer as well. By throwing a medicine ball around.

Does it take a special talent to pick up a medicine ball?

Maybe this is the talent: Wanting to do it.

Repeatedly.

Hence, a question to all you parents out there who can’t stand the coach:

How hard is your kid really working?

Does he or she want it as bad as A.J. Dillon and Cam Whalen?

Or do you think that because your kid is, perhaps, a senior that playing time is owed?

Ah, but as the realism of real life develops, we learn we are owed nothing. Sports are a great teacher of that.

Happily, the calendar still reads October. That means we get to watch Dillon play more football and Whalen play more soccer. More stiff arms and throw-ins. More evidence of diligence and its power.

Effort over entitlement.

Novel concept.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro