The David Renner story: From ‘pretty bad’ to anchor of Mars boys lacrosse’s return to PIAA championship
David Renner wasn’t always the mainstay in net he has been lately for Mars. The senior boys lacrosse goalie and Penn State Harrisburg commit wasn’t even a full-timer up until the postseason got rolling.
“In order to properly tell the story of how big of a change this was, I think you do kind of have to set the stage a little bit from where he started,” Planets coach Bob Marcoux said.
“I was pretty bad,” Renner said.
Renner began as a freshman long-pole defender who “didn’t really love to run, wasn’t super athletic, but a really nice kid and loved the game,” Marcoux said. Later that fall, seeing a chance to help the team, Renner made the move into the net.
Now he’s the guy his teammates count on to make timely saves as the Planets (18-4) head into Saturday’s PIAA Class 2A championship game against Penncrest (17-7) at 12:30 p.m. at Penn State University's Panzer Stadium
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been hit by a lacrosse ball, but it really hurts,” Marcoux said, explaining how selfless the goalie position is. “That’s why most people don’t wanna stand in the goal.”
The switch wasn’t seamless.
Renner had trouble getting in front of shots, but did display the willingness to try, even as players such as former Planets standout Enzo Grieco teed off on him during practice. The work ethic and toughness impressed Marcoux and his coaching staff.
“I’ve never really been rattled in a game before,” Renner said. “You get hit, and it’s like, ‘Well, I made a save, helping the team. I’m getting the ball down to the offense and helping them score a goal.’ ... Pain is temporary.”
After playing JV as a freshman and sophomore, Renner began getting playing time on varsity. Last summer, he began playing club lacrosse, getting extra reps that helped him start to see real improvements.
“There’s plenty of times where I think he could’ve decided to quit,” Marcoux said. “He could’ve hung it up, but he just kept coming to practice and he kept getting better and he kept working and he kept accepting coaching and he kept having a good attitude.
“That’s the message that we try to deliver to a lot of the younger players who don’t make the ‘A’ team as an eighth-grader and want to come out for the Mars High School team, is that, ‘Look people develop at different rates.’”
Despite Lampeter-Strasburg firing off a handful of shots from “point blank range” Tuesday, Marcoux said, Renner turned away over 50% of the attempts he faced.
“David, all year, has come up with a big save when we need it,” Marcoux said. “He just has this knack for being able to a really, really tough save after the defense has maybe broken down a little bit or given up a shot. It kind of gives us a big shot in the arm.”
Renner has stood in net for the entirety of his team’s matchups during the playoffs after splitting time with junior Luke Reinhart for most of the campaign.
“I’ve just been having a ton of fun,” Renner said. “It’s been awesome, going in there with my boys in these awesome games, huge games. It’s just been so much fun. I’m having the time of my life, really.”
