Wrangell's Daniel Harrison (right) runs just ahead of Daniel Dock of the Southwest Alaska community of Kipnuk in the state championship cross-country race last Saturday in Anchorage.
Wrangell's Boomchain Loucks (right) led at the 1-kilometer mark of the 5K state championship cross-country run but illness forced him out of the race.
Wrangell's Boomchain Loucks (right) led at the 1-kilometer mark of the 5K state championship cross-country run but illness forced him out of the race.
The Wrangell boys cross-country team finished third in the state championship meet while the girls finished eighth on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Bartlett High School in Anchorage.
For the boys, Daniel Harrison was Wrangell's highest finisher. The senior finished just outside the top 10 with a time 18:41.0. Junior Ian Nelson and sophomore Jackson Carney crossed the finish line one after the other in 14th and 15th.
Jackson Powers finished 31st of the 85 runners with a time of 20:00.04. Everett Meissner finished just six seconds behind his teammate in 32nd. Freshman Lucas Stearns finished in 45th with a time of 20:47.3 in his state championship debut.
Unfortunately for the boys, junior standout Boomchain Loucks did not complete the race after a bout with illness prevented him from crossing the finish line. Loucks - a runner Villarma has touted as one of the fastest in the state - has been Wrangell's fastest finisher all season.
Without Loucks' normal podium finish to anchor the team, the Wrangell boys fell to third place. Petersburg claimed the state title and the silver medal went to Glennallen, which finished just three points off the champions.
Wrangell's third-place finish denied them the state three-peat they had their eyes set on since the season's opening race in Juneau. However, the boys team is returning a lot of their talent for the 2025 season. Loucks and Nelson will be seniors. Carney and Meissner will be juniors, and Stearns will also return for his sophomore season.
"We're only losing one senior," Villarma said. "Even though this is a tough one to swallow, this team has a lot to look forward to."
After the race, Villarma encouraged his team.
"They were pretty upset," he said. "But I told them, 'You're still the best team across Division III. Take a load off. These things are unpredictable'"
Like the boys team, the girls were also without their fastest runner after Kalee Herman's injury in the Southeast championships prevented her from qualifying for the state meet. Despite the loss of Herman, the girls still managed an eighth-place finish in the team standings, beating Tikigaq, Sand Point and Unalaska. Petersburg won the girls state title, with Nenana and Unalakleet completing the state championship podium.
For Wrangell, Bella Ritchie was the team's fastest runner, finishing 37th of 80 runners with a time a 26:18.5. Freshmen Kourtney Barnes and Kailyn McCutcheon finished back-to-back in 54th and 55th.
All three girls, in addition to Herman, will return to the trails next season. Villarma hopes next year will continue to build off the team's young core whose main priority was simply to gain experience this season.
"We're going to have a really good girls team next year," Villarma said. "The incoming freshman class is really strong, and it will be great to have Alana Harrison back from New Zealand too."
"(Assistant coach Laura Davies) and I are so proud of this season. The kids worked really hard. They did all the little things right all year. Sometimes things just don't go our way," he said.
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