O’Neill’s New Gear Moves Him Into a Favorite’s Role in Cross-Country

If Francis O’Neill can again shift into that extra gear, he just might win the boys’ division at the 10th Kinney National Cross-Country Championship Saturday at Morley Field.

O’Neill, an 18-year-old senior at San Pasqual High School, qualified for the national championships by outsprinting the state cross-country champion, Agoura’s Bryan Dameworth, over the final 200 yards in last Saturday’s Western Regional in Fresno.

“He was right next to me until the last 200,” O’Neill said. “It kept building and building, and then I dropped to a lower gear, and it kicked in. I never had it before. I was a little surprised to see that I still had that extra gear there.”

O’Neill, who had placed fourth in the state meet the week before on the same course, beat Dameworth by 2 seconds and improved his 5,000-meter best by 12 seconds to 14:56. It was the fastest qualifying time of any of the 32 national qualifiers who will compete in the boys’ race at 10:40 a.m.

Rancho Buena Vista senior Kira Jorgensen is the favorite to repeat as champion in the girls’ race at 10.

“I mentally pictured the race and visualized it,” O’Neill said. “It pretty much became me. I was surprised; my body moved when I needed it to.”

O’Neill’s best 800-meter time, 1:52, is evidence of his speed gear. That kick in the regionals catapulted him from national championship contender to one of the favorites.

“He just blew by people,” race promoter Don Franken said. “He has such good leg speed, if the race comes down to a kick, Francis is not going to lose.”

Dameworth feels almost the same way.

“If he runs like he ran last week, he has a pretty good chance,” said Dameworth, a junior. “The way he ran last week was perfect. He’s really fast; my mistake was I waited too long to move on him. If it ends up going the same way, if I’m going to beat him, I think I’m going to have to make a move earlier.”

This will be O’Neill’s second shot at the national title. As a sophomore, he missed qualifying by 7 seconds. As a junior, he placed ninth in the regional and was the top alternate. When Granada Hills’ Ian Alsen chose to run with his team in the Los Angeles City Section meet instead of the Kinney final, O’Neill got his chance. He finished 24th but says there is no similarity to this year.

“Nothing, not even close,” he said. “Last year I was happy to be there, it was more of a survival thing. (This year) you just look at it as another race you have a chance of winning, and you prepare for it like you have a chance.”

O’Neill, who trained 30-35 miles a week during the season, is pleased with his late season training.

“I tapered just perfectly,” he said. “I eased off the hard training and let my body catch up. It boosted me.”

O’Neill started running in the sixth grade, jogging with his dad. When he was in junior high, he started running 10-kilometer races and with the team at school. The coach there spotted his potential and told San Pasqual Coach Will Wester. The more O’Neill ran, the better he became and the more he liked it.

“I did good, and I liked winning,” O’Neill said.

But running took the place of another activity he loved.

“I used to surf a lot,” he said. “It was kind of hard giving that up. I grew up surfing, but had to give that up . . . most of it.”

As successful as O’Neill’s running is becoming, the sacrifice of surfing will be worth it if it takes him to college and beyond.

“I want to take my running as far as I can go,” he said. “To the professional level if I can.”

For now, his concentration is on winning the national championship, and despite the differences in the regional courses, his top qualifying time immediately makes him a favorite.

“I don’t think of myself that way,” he said. “I think people might look at me that way, but last year (Kinney winner Bob) Kennedy wasn’t even close to qualifiers in the West Regional, and he blew them all away.

“I would like to finish first. I’ll just do the best I can do. Wherever that takes me, I’ll be satisfied as long as I try my hardest.”

KINNEY CROSS-COUNTRY FACTS

WHAT: 10th Kinney National High School Cross-Country Championships.

WHEN: Saturday, December 10.

WHERE: Morley Field in Balboa Park, near tennis courts at Jackaranda and Upus.

TELEVISION: Delayed, Ch. 39, Dec. 17, noon.

TIMES: Girls’ race 10 a.m.; Boys’ race 10:40 a.m.

COURSE: 5,000 meters, rolling with one major hill, mostly grass.

PARKING AND ADMISSION: Free.

GIRLS TO WATCH:

--Kira Jorgensen, Rancho Buena Vista HS, Vista. Jorgensen, a senior, is the defending national champion. She is only the third girl to qualify for the national race all 4 years and attempting to become only the second 2-time national champion.

--Christi Constantin, Kittatinny HS, Newton, N.J. Constantin, a senior, won the East Regional by 31 seconds. She finished fifth in the national race as a junior and fourth in the TAC Nationals 3,000 in 9:41.

--Megan Thompson, Hazelwood Central HS, Florissant, Mo. Thompson, a junior, was third as a sophomore. Ran 4:51.2 mile on track, second-fastest time in the nation in 1988. This is her third Kinney race.

--Meghan McCarthy, Robinson Secondary, Burke, Va. McCarthy, a freshman, defeated national finalist Michelle Farmer (The Woodlands, Texas) by 10 seconds in the Southern Regional.

BOYS TO WATCH:

--Francis O’Neill, San Pasqual HS, Escondido. O’Neill, a senior, had the fastest qualifying time, improving his best 5,000 meters by 12 seconds. Is considered the fastest in the sprint. As a junior, O’Neill placed 24th.

--Andre Williams, Armstrong HS, Richmond, Va. Williams, a senior, ran the second fastest time among the qualifiers in winning the Southern Regional.

--Chris Schurz, Westwood HS, Scottsdale, Ariz. Schurz, a senior, is a 3-time Kinney finalist.

--Jason DiJoseph, Paul VI, Haddonfield, N.J. DiJoseph, a senior, is running in his third Kinney race. Is considered a strong candidate to crack the 4-minute-mile barrier in track.