Kaiserslautern's Katelynn McEntee reloads after taking a shot during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Bill Conley has been involved with JROTC programs for 12 years, with the last three coaching the Kaiserslautern marksmanship team.

Over that time, the Raider mentor has not seen the connection and camaraderie within a team like the one the 2023-2024 squad has.

And that connection is leading to results on the ranges across Europe so far. The Raiders continued their perfect streak to start the season on Saturday at Kaiserslautern High School, totaling 1,140 points for a third competition victory.

Wiesbaden came in second with 1,122 points.

“The team synergy is something I’ve never seen,” said Conley, whose squad entered the weekend with the highest point total in Europe at 2,279 – 21 points ahead of defending champion Ansbach. “This team has gelled from the start. When one team member is down, two team members rise up.

“Noah (Truschinski) wasn’t doing his level best today, but to have the others pitch in and recognize it and put a hand on his shoulder and say, ‘I got your back,’ it is something special.”

Conley mentioned Truschinski, a junior, as one of the pillars of the squad, along with sophomore Katelynn McEntee, senior Maurnice Ahavit and junior Anastasia Mottern.

While Mottern and Truschinski each posted 279 points – good enough for 7th and 8th places on the day – Kaiserslautern showed a depth that has catapulted it into European championship contention.

The Raiders plugged in Amanda Garcia onto the varsity team for the first time, and the freshman delivered, posting a 286 for a fifth place due to the bull’s-eye tiebreaker. That included a 96 in the standing position, in which she placed second behind McEntee on the same tiebreaker. Several other Raiders would have landed in the top 10 Saturday if they were on the varsity squad, which is limited to five shooters each week.

“Our scores have improved a lot this year,” said Ahavit, who took sixth on the day with 285 points. “We’re really tight in terms of scores, so it’s a good thing.”

Wiesbaden's Meagan Jones adjusts her sight during a markmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Shooters walk to the range during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Alconbury's Gabi Pantoja stares down the barrel of her weapon during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Spangdahlem's Andre Danielson checks out the target through his scope during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Alconbury's Lance Langley adjusts his rifle during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Baumholder's Ashlyn Brech, left, adjusts her sight while SHAPE's Marina Dimou, center, looks through hers in kneeling position during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern's Maurnice Avahit adjusts her sight during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden's Cydnee Lassiter checks out the target through her scope during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern shooter Lana Le, left, reloads as teammate Joyce Truschinski aims at the target during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein Royals May Henry, left, and Mateo Cardenas adjust their equipment during a marksmanship competition on Jan. 6, 2024, at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

For all the talk of depth, a big gun stole the show in the last group.

McEntee put together one of Europe’s best individual performances this season, amassing 290 points. The sophomore sharpshooter became the third DODEA European individual to eclipse that mark this campaign.

One of the other two, Wiesbaden’s Cydnee Lassiter, also shot Saturday at Kaiserslautern. The Warrior, who posted a 291 at Spangdahlem on Dec. 9, came in second with 286 points and 15 bull’s-eyes.

It was an even day for McEntee, who shot 96, 98 and 96 in the kneeling, prone and standings positions, respectively. She added a competition-high 18 bull’s-eyes in the process.

“When I first started shooting in kneeling, I could feel my heart rate was up,” McEntee said. “I was nervous, I was sweating a lot, but once I got to prone, I feel into the rhythm of it more.”

McEntee only recently had broken that 290-point barrier in practice, so her coach was just as excited as she accomplished it Saturday.

“I think for her after she got over that hump, she broke through that wall,” Conley said. “She knew Wiesbaden’s No. 1 was shooting the last relay. To watch her come out and do it here, the sky’s the limit at this point.”

That’s the same feeling the Raiders have about their prospects of joining the likes of powerhouse Stuttgart, Ansbach and Vilseck in the race for this campaign’s European title. They increased their overall regular season lead over those three from the Eastern Conference on Saturday, too.

Kaiserslautern isn’t counting its chickens before the eggs hatch, but the team sees the pieces coming together.

“I’m optimistic,” McEntee said. “This year, we’ve got a good shot at getting first place. So, I’m really excited to see where we go this year.”