After the capacity crowd at Homewood Field had almost completely filed out — most of the stars had finished signing autographs for their biggest fans and returned to the locker room — the hero of the Whipsnakes’ comeback win over Atlas was sprinting up, down and across the field.

He wasn’t getting extra work in (although it could have helped). He was chasing after his biggest fan.

Ryan Drenner, who tallied three goals in the victory for an offense that included stars like Matt Rambo and Connor Kelly, darted from one side of the field to the other with his son, Beckham. The local kid and Towson grad had a smile on his face while he chased his 2-year-old son, who wore a red shirt with a snake emblazoned on it in honor of his father.

“He’s got so much energy, so as soon as I grab him, he wants to get down and he’s off the races,” Drenner joked.

“The opportunity to be playing on the world’s biggest stage, and then to have him there with me watching, and then to share a few moments with him on the field, it’s just really special and something I’ll remember forever,” he added.

The moment for Drenner, in essence, represented the two most important aspects of his life converging. For the first 20 or so years of his life, lacrosse was paramount. But when Beckham was born in the fall of 2016, his life changed.

He had a new “why.”

Now a professional lacrosse star for the PLL’s Whipsnakes, Drenner has been able to balance his career with raising a son in the Baltimore area. He’s one of few fathers in pro lacrosse, but he’s playing not only playing to win a title, but also to show his son the value of hard work.

“The birth of my son is the best thing that happened to me,” he said. “It allowed me to take a step back and reevaluate my ‘why.’ My why was always myself. My why was I wanted to represent myself and my family in the best way possible. When I had my son, my why quickly shifted to him.”

It came at a pivotal point in Drenner’s Towson career. The under-recruited attackman out of Westminster had impressed coach Shawn Nadelen and his staff from the start. He played his freshman year, got a large share of the offense in his sophomore year and became Towson’s biggest offensive threat in his junior year.

The Tigers were coming off an NCAA quarterfinal appearance in 2016, and Drenner was in the midst of his fall ball season. In October, Beckham was born.

Quickly, he had to make a decision. Could he continue to play college lacrosse, while taking class, and still care for his son? Or would he have to give up his passion?

Drenner’s family was supportive of him continuing his college career, as was Beckham’s mother, Katie, he said.  And so he decided to give it a try — but every minute spent away from his son had to be productive. Time mattered so much more.

“Now that I had someone that was looking up to me and looking for me to raise them, I wanted to show him early on in his life that hard work will get you places and get you where you want to go,” he said. “I still had to go to practice and class, so that’s time away from a newborn child. I had to make sure that time was well spent. Every time I was working out or at practice, I was making sure I was giving it my absolute all, not just for myself, but for him as well.”

Drenner was always the hardest working player at practice, but that fall, he came back with a renewed purpose. A fire Nadelen hadn’t seen before.

“He doesn’t get rattled,” Nadelen said. “You take any kid in college and you say, ‘Hey, you’re going to be a father in the fall of your senior year.’ That can definitely be worrisome for many people, but he took it in stride and accepted the responsibility. That did inspire Ryan to want to be that much better. He had a little bit more to play for now. He had to balance being a new father with the academics and being a lacrosse player. He just raised himself to a whole new level.”

That hard work translated to results as the 2017 season progressed. Towson, with Drenner leading the offense, won the Colonial Athletic Association and prepared for another run at the NCAA tournament. Beckham was in attendance for every home game.

Towson made it to the final four for the first time since 2001, but fell short to Ohio State at Gillette Stadium. It was a historic run for the Tigers, but it provided even more fuel for Drenner in his lacrosse career.

“That was what I thought would be the pinnacle of my lacrosse career,” he said. “The opportunity was there to do something special. Just making it was special in its own way, but we didn’t finish our job. That left an unsatisfied taste in my mouth, and that’s why I continue to play. I want to win that championship.”

It’s a season that Nadelen will remember for the rest of his career, spearheaded by Drenner.

“I was just so impressed that a young man can perform at such a high level in such an intense atmosphere in his senior year,” Nadelen said. “He was the head of the team. Knowing what he was going through — dealing with a newborn and the academics and lacrosse — I’m just amazed at the way in which he did it, the success that he had and the humbleness that he always had during the process.”

As Towson made its way through the 2017 season, Drenner spoke with Nadelen and his coaching staff about professional lacrosse. It became a realistic goal as Drenner worked his way to becoming an All-American as a senior.

Drenner wasn’t sure if he’d crack a roster in the MLL, but he wanted to give it a shot. The schedule of a pro lacrosse player was heavy on nights and weekends, allowing him to be with Beckham during the day.

Drenner made the cut for the Florida Launch. There, he met fellow father Steven Brooks, who helped him navigate the rigors of raising a child and playing professional lacrosse.

He had interned at a mortgage company during college, but he was happy to find that lacrosse could become a career. He wasn’t comfortable in a desk job.

While playing in MLL, Drenner picked up various coaching jobs. He served as an assistant under Brandon Childs at York. He coached youth lacrosse at 3d Lacrosse.

Drenner spent the rest of his time with his son. He started to notice Beckham’s growing in wheels. First, it was the stroller wheels, and it developed into a passion for Hot Wheels. Drenner’s parents had kept his old toy cars, so they were handed down to Beckham.

“He’s got so many Hot Wheels, so everywhere he goes, he’s got a couple Hot Wheels in his hands,” Drenner said. “He’ll try to load himself up as much as possible until cars are falling out of his hands, and he’ll recognize that’s enough.”

The first two seasons with the Florida Launch were successful. Drenner finished on the league’s leaderboard with 25 points in 2018.

But this offseason, the PLL came calling, and he didn’t pass up the opportunity. The PLL would require a little more time away from home, but it represented a chance to elevate the sport that he loved. Drenner was drafted by a Whipsnakes team that included stars like Rambo, Kelly, Michael Ehrhardt, Ben Reeves and plenty more.

Drenner has more than held his own among them. He is tied for the team lead with 19 goals for the playoff-bound Whipsnakes.

He has scored big late goals in multiple Whips’ wins this season — the first an overtime winner on June 8 in New York, then the same thing in Chicago a week later and another in the last minute against Atlas in D.C., where Beckham watched from stands.

As soon as the PLL weekend ends, Drenner heads home to be with Beckham. He spends four days a week at home in Finksburg, Md., with his son. He also coaches 3d Lacrosse twice a week.

While Beckham naps, Drenner heads to McDaniel College, where he now serves as an assistant, to practice shooting. He’s tried to get Beckham into lacrosse, but it remains a work in progress.

“When he does have a lacrosse stick in his hands, it’s always one-handed,” he said. “As a coach, that’s not something you want him falling into the habit of. If he learns the game one-handed, it’ll be even easier for him two-handed. Right now he’s just cruising around with a stick in one hand and a car in the other.”

Balancing two passions, just like his father.

Drenner’s career has taken off, all while he’s raised his son back home. In a few weeks, he could have an opportunity to battle for a PLL championship in Philadelphia — where Beckham will almost certainly make the trip.

Winning would mean the world to Drenner.

“[A PLL title] would be a message to my son to let him know that this offseason has been the hardest I’ve worked in my entire life, and that resulted in a championship for my team,” he said. “I’d love to have that as a learning tool to teach him.”