CROSS-COUNTRY NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Dameworth Shows His Back to Pack

Andy Maris, a senior from Buckley, Wash., spent all week next to Bryan Dameworth. He was behind him in the meal line at Hotel Del Coronado, next to him on the beach.

And alongside him Saturday until a quarter-mile remained in the Kinney Nationals high school cross country race at Balboa Park’s Morley Field.

From there, Maris saw what everybody else has seen this season: Dameworth’s back. Dameworth, of Agoura High in Calabasas, continued an unbeaten season by running the 5,000-meter course in 14 minutes, 49.9 seconds.

Maris was second in 15:00.9, followed by Louie Quintana of Nipomo (15:10.0); Michael McWilliams of Grove City, Pa., (15:10.7), and Stuart Henderson of McDonald, Ohio, (15:10.9).

Martin Keino, son of Kip Keino, the former 1,500-meter world record-holder who beat Jim Ryun in the 1968 Olympics, placed sixth at 15:13.0.

“The whole time we were running together,” Dameworth said, “I was thinking that I got him in the regionals pretty good.”

Maris had finished sixth in the Western regional last week, so he spent the week in a personal psych job.

“I was focusing on him,” Maris said. “I was getting a mental image: if I kept him in sight during the week, then I could keep him in sight during the race. I kept telling myself, ‘I’m as good as him.’ ”

With a quarter-mile to go, Maris said: “I just lost my mental discipline. I thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s the best.’ And that’s not the way a competitor thinks. One negative thought just blew me away.”

Melody Fairchild’s hometown may have given her an advantage in winning the girls’ division in 17 minutes, 5.5 seconds.

Fairchild kicked her way up Pershing Avenue Hill, a steep, block-long incline that is part of the course. She passed the lead pack and won by more than seven seconds over second-place Megan Thompson, of Floristan, Mo., who finished in 17:12.7.

Fairchild hung back from the lead pack in the early going. She made her move at the bottom of the hill and overtook the early pace-setters at the top.

“I love hills,” Fairchild said. “I’m proud that I live in Boulder, Colo., which is known for hills. I like to think hills are my strong point.”

She convinced Thompson, who was unsure of Fairchild’s running ability going into the race.

“I’ve never seen anyone who doesn’t look like a runner run like Melody did today,” Thompson said. “Runners are tall and lanky, she’s so short. But she has so much power in her legs . . . she amazes me.”

Fairchild is 5-feet-2, 95 pounds. She insists height is not a prerequisite to running successfully.

“I’m determined to prove that size doesn’t make a difference,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how long your legs are but how big your heart is.”

It was her second appearance at the Kinney. Last year, she finished second to Celeste Susnis of Wheatfield, Ind. This year, Susnis, a senior, placed fifth at 17:39.2 behind Carole Zajac of Pittsburgh (17:22.9) and Sarah Schwald of Spokane, Wash. (17:35.3).