“Oh man, this is for so many people,” Wrangell’s Boomchain Loucks said. He had just been named Division II Outstanding Male Competitor at the 2026 Alaska School Activities Association Track and Field State Championships last weekend in Anchorage.
Standing among his peers with the sun illuminating his red Wrangell running singlet after the final awards were announced on Saturday, Loucks deflected any accomplishments he had just earned while sweeping the three distance events at the meet.
“So many people helped get me here,” he said. “My coach Mason (Villarma), coach Laura Davies, my mom, my family, my school, my community, just everybody in Wrangell pretty much.”
He also took first place in the state high school Division III cross-country meet last fall.
At the state track and field meet, he put Wrangell on the map as the lone Wolves’ state competitor, winning the 3,200-meter race on Friday in nine minutes and 37.24 seconds, and Saturday’s 1,600 meters in 4:19.55 and the 800 meters in 1:57.16.
He earned the outstanding competitor honor along with senior Taylor Eddington of Tri-Valley, the Division II female winner of the 100-meter (12.66), 200 (25.61), 100-meter hurdles (15.14) and 300 hurdles (43.79).
“In the 3,200, I tried to just stay relaxed and not get too nervous the first six laps,” Loucks said. “Just see what the field is like and what is going on. When I saw with 600 meters to go that the first and second guy were kind of a little bit tired, I was like, ‘Oh, I have got to break him now.’ I am pretty confident in my conditioning to do that.”
In the 1,600, he jumped quickly out to the front of the pack at the start.
“I was going to try to go run 65 (seconds per lap) today, so I went a little fast in the first lap, but it was my favorite event so I was happy to run it,” he said.
“I was pretty excited because the two-mile (3,200-meter) is just a little slow for me, a little too long and I just count down the laps, so the mile is perfect. I just kind of think of the lap times and use a little bit of math in my head, then just try to relax and watch the guy in front of me.”
Louck’s final race was the 800 meters. Runners that train for the 800 usually have a kick that can benefit them in the 3,200 and 1,600, which had come to light in his previous two wins.
“I was pretty nervous,” Loucks said. “But I just knew how to kind of relax before the gun, go with the flow and then with 250 meters to go make a move. And I did it pretty well this race. My plan went well.”
He easily followed Homer senior Johannes Bynagle through the first two turns, accelerating onto the first back stretch to cruise the final 550 meters with ease in a personal best time 1:57.16.
“I wanted to go with the leader, draft off of them because it was a little windy,” Loucks said. “And then with 250 to go just try to make a move and see if they stick on with me.”
In the 1,600, Loucks’ time of 4:19.55 led Mountain City Christian Academy sophomore Brendan Nottingham and Craig junior Aulis Nelson to run their personal best times of 4:33.76 and 4:35.24, respectively.
Loucks’ 3,200 time of 9:37.24 led Bynagle, who clocked in at 9:43.35.
The Wrangell runner has some of the fastest times in the state over the three distances and said that brought him confidence coming into state.
“It brought a lot of confidence to this meet,” he said. “Practicing every day, and I don’t have a track. I have to go run on the concrete and gravel, so every time I do a rep it is a little slow. So when I run here and run on the track it is really nice to just go out there and run fast.
“I wanted to make sure to get the wins but I also wanted to run a little bit faster. I want to go 4:15 (1,600) and 1:55 (800) this season, so a couple seconds off of each and hopefully I can get them at the Brian Young or the Adidas Nationals.”
Kodiak’s annual Brian Young Invitational will be run at Colony High School this weekend, Friday and Saturday, June 5-6, and the Adidas Nationals are in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 18-21.
Loucks has the fastest Alaska high school 800-meter time this season (1:57.16) and the fastest 1,600 (4:18.62). He has the third fastest 3,200-meter time (9:31.780).
“Boomchain’s performance at state was the perfect way to close out an incredible high school career,” said coach Villarma, who was unable to make the trip to the state meet.
“Dominating all three events says everything about the athlete he has become.”
Villarma added, “As great as he is as an athlete, he is even better as a person — humble, hardworking. … Boom is one of a kind, the kind of an athlete a coach may only work with once in a career.”
Loucks, who graduated high school last month, plans to attend Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, and run for the Vikings while studying business.
“I am not good in math, so business is the plan,” he said. “Except on the track I am pretty good in math.”
As the last athletes, coaches and volunteers were leaving the state meet last Saturday, Loucks reflected in thankfulness again.
“My mom Christy Gardner has done so much for me,” he said. “She has done everything. She is my whole world. I would not be here without her and her support. And I just love Wrangell High School, I would not trade it for a big Anchorage high school or a down south high school. I miss it right now. One of the first things I want to do is get up to the Stikine hot tubs with friends, that is a lot of fun.”
Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
