With his team trailing Grand Junction Central 10-6 in the bottom of the 7th inning on April 18, Montezuma-Cortez High School first baseman trotted the plate and took two pitches before lining a sharp single up the middle.
Reaching first base at a dead sprint, Brenner took a wide turn at first base before retreating to the base, clapping his hands together and shouting encouragement in the direction of teammate Konnar McGee.
On many levels, Brenner’s crisp hit, hustle to first base and intensity after the fact was indicative of the never-quit attitude that the senior has brought to M-CHS’s baseball and soccer teams during the past four years.
Brenner is currently batting .318 in his final season of high school baseball after hitting .308 last season, smashing one home run and registering 18 RBIs.
“We’re doing pretty good this season, but we need to be confident in our abilities,” said Brenner. “I’ve been doing alright, but I could be doing better. I’ve been trying to make contact and put the ball in play.”
In addition to his accomplishments on the baseball field, Brenner has often impersonated a brick wall during the past four years as the goalkeeper for the M-CHS soccer team.
A four-year starter for M-CHS, Brenner allowed 82 goals and made 164 saves as a junior before allowing just 19 goals and making 138 saves as a senior.
In each of his first three years of high school soccer, Brenner was named to the Southwest League’s all-conference team before being named to the West Slope League’s all-conference team as a senior.
Asked what he will remember most about his high school soccer career, Brenner said that he will never forget spending time with teammates, as well as numerous lessons learned from two-year head coach Sean Fitzgerald.
“Sean brought an intensity to the team and he wanted to win,” Brenner said. “Before he came, we were nonchalant in practices, but when Sean came on, we saw our potential and started bringing intensity to practice.”
As for his plans for the future, Brenner said that he will attend the University of Colorado Colorado Springs next fall and study sports management.
While the senior admitted that he would like to eventually walk on UCCS’s college soccer team, he said that he to first enjoy his final weeks of high school.
“My goal is to finish my high school career with some fun,” said Brenner. “I want to help my team to victory.”