Stuttgart junior Pacha Miletich sprints to the finish line ahead of Ramstein's Rose Thompson during a cross country meet on Sept. 14, 2024, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart’s Jackson Balfrey-Boyd wasn’t exaggerating when he said the boys race Saturday’s DODEA European cross country championships at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Baumholder, Germany, could go five ways.

Three-time champion Luke Jones of Wiesbaden decided not to compete his senior season, leaving the door open for a new winner. Frankfurt International School’s Seth Leishman, who looked like the favorite to be that winner for most of the season, was pushed in the last regular-season meet of the season by Balfrey-Boyd and Ramstein’s Adden Lowe, with all three finishing within seven seconds.

Royal senior Spencer Jackson outsprinted his sophomore teammate to the line before this season, while Vicenza’s Mitchell Horrigan put his hat into the ring by dropping a European-best time of 16 minutes, 22 seconds on Oct. 19 in Aviano, Italy.

“I think Euros can go either way,” Balfrey-Boyd said. “Whoever wins will be having a good race that day. I’ll give it all I got, but anyone can win that race.”

If you think the boys’ race is crowded, the girls’ event is even more so.

At least six runners are in the running for the individual crown with two Royals – Rose Thompson and Iliana Echard – posting the two fastest times in Europe of 19:58.81 and 20:00.41, albeit on the flat, fast course at Lakenheath on Sept. 28.

Then, four Panthers – junior Regan Stewart, freshman Anna Konon, junior Pacha Miletich and freshman Kendall Cancel – have been part of a revolving door of race winners.

Of the six, only Thompson and Stewart have crossed the line first multiple times this season. Those two schools have competed against each other three times.

“It’s always been at the back of my mind, ‘Oh, I might be able to win,’ but overall, I’m just trying to keep a good mindset and focusing on myself and ending the season on a high note rather than trying to pressure myself into winning first,” Echard said. “If I do, that would be great, but that’s not my only focus.”

It’s anyone’s guess who the top runners for Stuttgart will be, as they seem to trade places each race. The depth has the Panthers poised for another team title, though the Royals are nipping at their heels.

“It’s all friendly rivalry,” Konon said. “We just try to push each other and make everyone do their best.”

For the boys, Leishman, whose time of 16:24.07 on Sept. 21 set the Stuttgart course record, had Europe’s best time prior to Horrigan’s performance. The Warrior senior missed two weeks due to an injury prior to Oct. 19’s race.

That 5K at Vilseck was the first time the Ramstein runners had raced against Leishman. Lowe said he learned a lot from just that one experience.

“I had never seen him run before, so I was shocked when I saw him starting to take off from us. But he definitely proved me wrong,” Lowe said. “I want to take some of that confidence and use it in my own race.”

The boys team competition looks to be just as tight.

The Panthers have made clear their intention to reclaim the team title they lost last season and have led the way for most of the season.

But on Oct. 19, the Royals, who placed second at 2023’s championship meet, snuck past Stuttgart by two points. The Panthers were without Henry Talcott, whom Balfrey-Boyd said could have swung the result in their favor.

Both Panthers said because the Royals’ spread among its top five runners is larger than theirs, having more competitors from other schools placing between runners could help.

Jackson, meanwhile, said his entire team must have top races to bring home the title.

“Everyone on our team really has a part to play, and if they don’t have a good race, then we lose,” Jackson said. “And if Stuttgart doesn’t have a good race, then we win.”

Not only will the runners be squaring off against each other, but they will be taking on the course.

The course’s name literally mirrors the route, which all runners describe as hilly. Anyone producing a sub-18-minute 5K will have a great chance at winning the individual boys title, while a mid-20-minute race could do it on the girls side.

That makes the runners’ race strategies as important as their endurance.

“I plan to start at a slower and steady pace because a lot of people will be sprinting at the start, and then to hold a moderately faster holding pace for the entirety of the course because most often, people will die off after the first lap,” Thompson said.

Ramstein's Spencer Jackson, center forefront, leads fellow Royal Adden Lowe and Stuttgart's Ethan Cohen during a cross country meet on Sept. 14, 2024, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)