The Mars 12U boys lacrosse team recently won the Gem City Tournament in Erie. Team members include, front: Luke Reinhart; kneeling left to right: Garrett Myers, Stone Pretorotti, Aiden Glentzer, Finn McKenzie, Owen Krock, Luca Martorelli, Luciano Cuzzocrea; players standing: Sam Langer, Nate DeGlau, Leo Geary, Blake Cote, Paxton Hartle, Reed Fuller, Phillip Veneziano; coaches: John Langer, Greg Reinhart, F.L. Geary, Justin Cote, Todd Fuller.

The Mars boys lacrosse program has ruled the WPIAL in recent years, winning five consecutive district titles.

This past season, the Planets advanced to the state championship game for the first time and ended the spring with a record of 22-1.

Much of the success is due to an extremely strong feeder program, which ensures that a constant flow of talented and knowledgeable players arrive at the varsity level every season.

Members of Mars Youth Lacrosse's 12U team may be a few years away from contributing to the high school team, but their recent effort at a tournament in Erie gave a peek at what is headed down the pike.

The squad was one of six to take part in the Gem City Tournament, held July 9-11. Mars won the championship with a record of 4-1.

The field also included two teams from Michigan, one from Ohio, one from New York and Ultimate, a team from Pittsburgh. All five of those squads are club teams, meaning they pull players from a large area.

“We're a community program and winning that tournament speaks to what we've built here,” said Bob Gallagher, board member and coach with Mars Youth Lacrosse. “I think it's had a lot to do with the success Mars has had at the high school level.”

Mars' only loss in the tournament came by an 8-7 score against Ultimate. The two teams were later matched against each other in the championship game.

“I told the kids that if we play our game, we'll be great,” said Todd Fuller, Mars 12U coach, who watched his team avenge the defeat with a 5-4 victory in the rain. “Anytime you can beat a club team, it's pretty special.

“The competition was good. We beat both teams from Detroit earlier in the tournament and they are both run by Detroit Mercy (University) guys. We've had summer lacrosse at Mars for a number of years and it has definitely paid off.”

During the spring, Mars Youth Lacrosse fields two teams at each of three age levels — 10U, 12U and 14U. In the summer, the numbers are trimmed to one team for each age division.

A total of 56 players suited up this summer.

“It's impressive that we're able to draw that many boys, kids who want to have fun and play lacrosse with their classmates,” said Gallagher.

The organization also held a skills camp for the 12U and 14U teams twice every week over the last two months at Adams Township Community Park.

Each session lasted 90 minutes, with fundamentals, lacrosse IQ and scrimmages with each taking up a third of the time. An average of 40 players showed up each time.

“That gave the kids a chance to bond and work on their skills,” Fuller said. “It's all about creating a culture here and it obviously works.”