Wrangell High’s cross-country runners turned in solid individual efforts at the George Plumley Invitational in Palmer on Sept. 6, competing in a field of nearly 1,200 athletes.

Senior Boomchain Loucks had the fastest time among Division III runners and finished seventh overall in 16 minutes, 54.7 seconds.

He “went out hard and shared the lead for a lot of the race,” head coach Mason Villarma said, noting Loucks is training through heavy mileage for a postseason that will stretch into November.

“He lagged a little in the last mile, but a good performance on a tough course with less than optimal conditions. He’s probably running through more fatigue than any other runner in the field. This will pay dividends later in the season.”

Loucks “still has the top time in the state” this fall at 16:08, Villarma said of the runner’s time at the Wrangell meet last month.

Freshman Jenna Meissner won her division and placed 22nd overall in the girls race in Palmer in 20:57.6. It was her large-meet debut.

“Jenna carried the most notable performance of the weekend,” Villarma said. “She went out in 10th place and settled to finish 22nd overall. I was encouraged to see she wasn’t super tired after the race. I think she’s got a lot more in the tank.”

Wolves finished first (Meissner), third and fourth (Alana Harrison, 22:21.2, and Bella Ritchie, 22:21.4), among Division III runners in the girls race.

“On the guys side, it was sort of a mixed bag,” he said. “Jackson Carney (18:58.9) has had to go from commercial fishing to peak fitness in a matter of weeks, which is a tough stretch. I have no doubt he’ll rise to the occasion when we get into the postseason. He’s tough. I thought (freshman) Ryder Ritchie (19:47.8) did a good job competing in his first big race. You can tell he’s going to build into a great runner like his sister.”

Also running for the Wrangell boys were Jackson Powers (18:50.8), Ian Nelson (19:14.8), Carter Howell (20:04.8) and Lucas Stearns (21:46.3).

Kalee Herman also competed for the Wrangell girls.

Villarma said both squads “performed well” and are building toward faster times at their next meet Saturday, Sept. 13, in Ketchikan.

“Historically, Ketchikan and Wrangell have the fastest courses, so it will be fun to see how we stack up against the Region 5 (Southeast) field,” he said. “We have a lot of work to put in yet.”