By Ed Morrone

For the Times

From Western Africa to Eastern Minnesota to right here in Northeast Philadelphia, Chea Fineboy has not stopped running. Luckily for the George Washington boys soccer program, speed is what comes natural to one of its undersized leaders.

Fineboy, a junior, just completed his first year on the soccer field for the Eagles. After scoring 10 goals and notching five assists en route to helping Washington win the Public League championship on Nov. 2, it's almost hard to believe how far Fineboy has come when he makes it look so easy on the field.

"He doesn't stop running," Washington first-year head coach Chris Reid said after watching Fineboy pick apart Bartram's defense for two goals in the Public title game. "It's his biggest advantage. He's so good on the ball and he's just constantly, constantly running."

Fineboy, 16, was born in Liberia and emigrated to America with his family in 2006. First stop in the States was the Twin Cities, where Fineboy played his first two years of high school soccer at Fridley Senior High School in Minneapolis. He also played competitive club soccer at St. Croix Soccer Club in nearby Stillwater, excelling in all facets of the game despite being new to the country.

Over the course of three years in Minnesota, Fineboy's rŽsumŽ was exceptional: leading scorer on his under-15 team and double-digit goal scorer on both the under-16 and under-17 teams. He helped St. Croix advance to the state final in his last season and also led Fridley to the state quarterfinals as a freshman, scoring nine goals in the process.

Normally, it would be appropriate to stop and marvel at Fineboy's accomplishments. But there's more.

His next detour brought him and his family to Philadelphia, where Fineboy enrolled at George Washington High School and picked up right where he left off up north.

Joining a team armed with 14 seniors that had won a Public League championship in 2008, Fineboy slipped under the radar and dazzled his way to 10 goals, including three in the final two Public playoff matches.

"I told my coach that I didn't know when the goals would come, but I promised to give a full effort every time," Fineboy said. "I've been doing it since I played back in Minnesota and now I do it for George Washington. I play hard for my family, my coach and my players."

Because of Fineboy's success on the field, it's easy to think that he underwent a seamless transition to his new school and team, but there have been some bumps along the way.

"We had to tame him a little bit, had to horse-collar him a little bit in school," Reid said. "He's had his issues this year."

The main issue Reid is referring to was a midseason four-game suspension that was levied on Fineboy for acting out in the classroom. Washington's only two regular-season losses (they also lost the city championship to Father Judge, 1-0, on Nov. 5) came with Fineboy on the sideline. Reid called it a "learning moment" for his player, saying Fineboy apologized to his teachers, took his suspension like a man and rebounded to have a fine rest of the season.

Fineboy's suspension was not the result of a rebellious teen feeling the need to act out; rather, it was just his boisterous yet affable personality getting the best of him.

While his teammates stretched and talked strategy during halftime of the Bartram game, Fineboy raced to the stands on the far sidelines and yukked it up with family and friends, the sign of an excitable athlete having a ton of fun playing the game he loves.

"I told my mom that I was going to score two goals for her," Fineboy said after the Public League championship win. "So at halftime, I had to go say hi to her and tell her that I loved her."

Wait just a second...you told your mom you were going to score two goals for her?

"Yeah," Fineboy said with a mischievous smile.

The Eagles were scheduled to face Unionville at West Chester East in the first-round of the state tournament on Tuesday night. The game was played after the Times went to press this week.

Fineboy has now become the focal point of the Eagles' team this season. Next year, he won't have the aid of all those seniors, which means more hard work lies ahead.

"It has been great to come in and play with experienced teammates in my first year that made me feel welcome right away," said Fineboy, a Division-I prospect who has already received interest from colleges including Northern Illinois and Wisconsin-Green Bay. "My goal for every season is to go out, have fun, give a good effort and try to score goals. The goal as a team was to win the championship, and now that we did that, I can start to focus on next year."

Despite losing most of his team to graduation, Reid knows he will have a tremendous asset on the field as he begins to construct next year's roster. The versatile Fineboy - who played both forward and halfback in the win over Bartram - is an obvious weapon wherever he lines up on the pitch.

"He can play halfback and he can play forward," Reid said. "Wherever we put him, he just does what we ask him to do. He makes everyone around him better."

Reporter Ed Morrone can be reached at edward.morrone@gmail.com