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Wrangell’s Boomchain Loucks earns Gatorade state honor
- Klas Stolpe
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
2026 graduate selected as Alaska Boys Track & Field Player of the Year
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
2026 Wrangell High School graduate Boomchain Loucks was selected the Gatorade Alaska Boys Track & Field Player of the Year on Friday.
“This achievement means a lot because my freshman year we had a goal list in health class and I put state champion,” Loucks said. “And a lot of people, I felt like, when I said that just kind of looked confused or like they didn’t think I was being serious, and the next year I won.”
Loucks was selected for his Alaska Division II state championship performance, winning the 800 in a personal best 1:57.16, the 1,600 in 4:19.55 and the 3200 in 9:37.24. His 3,200 PR was 9:31.78 at the Region V championships. He won the state meet’s Most Outstanding Male Competitor and also ran Alaska’s fastest 1600 time of 4:18.62 at the Liberty Twilight meet earlier in the season.
“So it was crazy just to put down a goal and achieve it like that,” Loucks said. “And another one of the goals was cross-country Gatorade after the year and I never got that so to get track and field athlete, and I only have ran from track for two years, means so much and just means a lot to the community too because we don’t have a track and no one to train with. So to get this meant a lot.”
Gatorade, in its 41st year of honoring high school athletes, annually recognizes one boy and one girl from each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in 12 sports: football, baseball, softball, girls volleyball, and boys and girls cross country, basketball, soccer, and track and field. They then qualify for the overall national honor in each sport. Nominees are also considered for their community involvement and studies.
2026 Tri-Valley High School graduate Taylor Eddington, at 5 feet 5 inches, was the Alaska girls track and field selection for her DII state meet wins in the 300 hurdles (state record 43.31), 100 hurdles (she set Alaska’s fastest time of 15.03 at the 2026 Brian Young Invitational), 100 dash and 200 dash. She was the state meet Most Outstanding Female Competitor. Eddington also volunteers at a food drive and maintained a 3.89 GPA. She will attend St. Catherine University in Minnesota to run track and play ice hockey.
The National Boys Track & Field honor went to 6-foot senior hurdler Zacchaeus Brocks of Detroit Catholic Central HS in Novi, Michigan. He recently set the 110 hurdle USATF Under-20 record in 12.98 seconds, has a PR 36.23 in the 300 hurdles and is an eight-time national champion and 16-time All-American in high school and AAU competition. He will compete at The Ohio State University.
The National Girls Track & Field honor went to 5-foot 4-inch freshman Melanie Doggett of Landmark Christian School in Fairburn, Georgia. Doggett was unbeaten this year and swept the 100 and 200 meter dash titles at both the Nike Outdoor Nationals and Under Armour Nationals. She has a 100 time of 11.18 - second in prep history among ninth graders, along with an 11.01 (all-conditions time) and a 200 PR 22.48 - also a freshman second best in prep history.
“What really motivates me in the classroom and on the track is that in Alaska we do not get many opportunities,” Loucks said. “So we need to go out there and try to make the most with every opportunity you do get handed to you. It also really helps when the whole community is supporting me, not just coaches and teachers, but everyone in the community wants to see you succeed here.”
Loucks has volunteered locally on community cleanup days, is part of Tech Savvy Senior — a group that helps the elderly with technology assistance — and is a member of Wrangell’s lead dance group at Juneau’s Celebration, the biennial cultural festival that honors the traditions of Indigenous Peoples of Southeast Alaska. He has carried a 3.74 GPA and will attend, and run for, Western Washington University in Bellingham.
“What I would tell younger athletes is always stay consistent,” Loucks said. “Even when it feels like you are not getting any better. Do the little things like core push-ups, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep recovery is almost more important than the work itself.”
Following are the 2026 Gatorade Alaska sports selections and the overall Gatorade National winners:
Boys Cross Country:
Alaska - Katahdin Staples, 6-foot junior, East Anchorage, Anchorage, won second straight state title, 15:36.2 PR at Nike meet.
National - Jackson Spencer, 6-foot senior, Herriman HS, Herriman, Utah, 14:29.8 PR, nationals fastest 3-mile and 5K times, top American at World U20 (signed to Brigham Young University but will complete two-year LDS mission prior).
Girls Cross Country:
Alaska - Hailee Giacobbe, 5-foot-1 junior, Wasilla HS, Wasilla, two-time Gatorade winner, 19:18.8 PR, top Alaskan at Nike meet two years in a row. National - Natasza Dudek, 5-foot-2 sophomore, Pioneer HS, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 16:09.50 personal best, won Nike and Brooks meets.
Football:
Alaska - Deuce Alailefaleula, 6-foot-1 senior defensive lineman, Bartlett High School, Anchorage, 117 tackles, 77 solo tackles, 14 sacks, 8 blocked kicks (committed to Boise State).
National - Jackson Cantwell, 6-foot-8 senior offensive lineman, Nixa HS, Nixa, Missouri, 173 pancake blocks, 45.8 AVG PPG, 9.7 AVG yards per play (committed to University of Miami).
Volleyball:
Alaska - Ellie Kleven, 5-foot-8 senior setter, South Anchorage HS, Anchorage, 1196 assists, 434 digs, 121 aces, 97 kills (college destination undecided).
National - Sophee Peterson, 5-foot-11 junior setter, Byron Nelson HS, Trophy Club, Texas, 1459 AST, 274 D, 161 K, 70 blocks (verbal commitment to Texas A&M for 2027).
Boys Basketball:
Alaska - Jayden Miranda, 5-foot-11 junior guard, West Valley HS, Fairbanks, 14 PPG, 3.8 RB, 2.5 AST.
National - Jordan Smith Jr., 6-foot-2 senior guard, Paul VI Catholic HS, Chantilly, Virgina, 25.1 PPG, 6 RPB, 5.3 APG, 3 SPG (signed to University of Arkansas).
Girls Basketball:
Alaska - Keelie Kronberger, 6-foot senior guard, Mountain City Christian Academy, Anchorage, 29.4 PPG, 7.2 RB, 3.5 STL (signed to Oral Roberts University).
National - Olivia Vukosa, 6-foot-5 senior center, Christ The King HS, Middle Village, New York, 17 PPG, 18.1 RPG, 5.5 APG, 4.4 BPG (signed to University of Connecticut).
Baseball:
Alaska - Rilen Niclai, 6-foot-2 junior shortstop/right-handed pitcher, Service HS, Anchorage, .581 batting AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI (verbal to Arizona State University for fall 2027).
National - Grady Emerson, 6-foot-2 senior shortstop, Fort Worth Christian School, Fort Worth, Texas, .508 AVG, 56 RBI, 8 HR (verbal commitment to University of Texas, but is projected as first round selection in July’s Major League Baseball draft).
Softball:
Alaska - Taylor Passard, 5-foot-8 freshman shortstop/outfielder, Colony HS, Palmer, .671 AVG, 14 HR, 59 RBI.
National - Caroline Stanton, 6-foot senior right-handed pitcher/designated player, Buford HS, Buford, Georgia, 0.35 ERA, 11 Shutouts, .329 AVG (signed to University of Florida).
Boys Soccer:
Alaska - Jared Mateaki, 5-foot-8 senior midfielder, Dimond HS, Anchorage, 14 goals, 16 assists leading Dimond to state title (college undecided).
National - Marcus Johnson, 6-foot-4 defender, West Orange HS, West Orange, New Jersey, 18 goals, 5 assists, 10 shutouts (signed to UCLA).
Girls Soccer:
Alaska - Addysen Gasser, 5-foot-8 senior defender, South Anchorage HS, Anchorage, 8 goals, 10 assists, 17 shutouts, two straight state titles (signed to Colorado’s Regis University).
National - Maddie DiMaria, 5-foot-7 junior forward, Cor Jesu Academy, St. Louis, Missouri, 67 goals, 25 assists, ranked as no. 1 recruit (signed to University of North Carolina for this Fall).
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
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