Doherty coach Adam Foulk and his assistants knew from the first fall practice of 2022 that Courage Aweanung was the type of leader they wanted in their program.

Aweanung, who moved from Cameroon to Colorado Springs in April, rolled into the parking lot at Garry Berry Stadium on an electric scooter, asking if he could charge it somewhere.

Foulk was confused.

“Courage, did you ride your scooter over here?” Foulk asked the junior forward.

Turns out he did.

Aweanung rode the scooter from the Dublin/Powers corridor in north Colorado Springs to the south Colorado Springs stadium — roughly a 45-minute trek.

“I was like, ‘Wow, that’s some dedication,’” Foulk said.

Aweanung’s dedication has been on full display for the Spartans. Despite only playing in two games, Aweanung is Doherty’s scoring leader in goals with five goals.

“He’s the type of student-athlete you want in your program,” Doherty coach Adam Foulk said.

Adjusting to the States

Aweanung will never forget his first day in the United States. He was accustomed to the perpetually hot, dry climate of west Africa and had never really experienced wintry conditions.

As Aweanung gazed at the Rocky Mountains in mid-April, he saw something he had only ever seen on TV and in movies: snow.

“The mountains were all white,” Aweanung said. “It was weird to see it in person.”

Aweanung moved in with his father, who has lived in Colorado Springs for over 18 years. His father had previously described the chilly climate over the phone, but Aweanung had never lived in it.

Even as temperatures warmed up for summer and fall months, the temperature was still cold in Aweanung’s eyes. Cameroon rarely sees temperatures below 70 degrees, so mornings with temperatures in the 50s and 60s were new to him.

Aweanung said this has been one of the most difficult parts of moving to — and playing soccer in — the United States.

“The weather is always changing here,” Aweanung said. “I’ll wake up in the morning and be like, ‘Oh, it’s kind of cold now.’”

Another difficult part of the move was Aweanung’s accent.

English and French are Cameroon’s official languages, and English was Aweanung’s first language. But Aweanung’s rather-thick accent made it hard for Coloradans to understand him.

This was a roadblock for Aweanung as he tried to make friends in his new country.

“He was a little shy at first, but that’s to be expected,” Foulk said.

Aweanung added, “It’s kind of hard to understand, so it was hard for me.”

Finding a home

Aweanung began playing soccer at a young age, and that skill helped him adjust to the new scenery. It gave him a way to meet friends in a new setting.

All of Aweanung’s teammates quickly embraced him because of his kind, humble demeanor.

“He’s such a polite young man,” Foulk said. “He’s very respectful and all the guys just like him. He doesn’t have an ego or anything like that.”

Aweanung said, “The guys here are my friends. They’ve helped me a lot.”

And as soon as he became comfortable around the soccer program, he became more comfortable at school as a whole.

“Now he kind of walks around with a little more confidence,” Foulk said.

Aweanung’s newfound confidence has translated to success on the pitch, as well.

He had to sit out Doherty’s first five matches before being cleared by CHSAA because of the move. But in his first game eligible — a 7-0 win over Palmer on Sept. 8 — Aweanung scored a hat trick. He followed that up with two goals and three assists in the Spartans’ 7-0 win over Discovery Canyon on Sept. 15.

In game three, Aweanung scored both of Doherty’s goals as the Spartans edged Legend 2-0.

The Spartans are on a three-game winning streak with a 16-0 goal differential since Aweanung’s addition. They were shut out in four of their first five matches, and Aweanung’s insertion to the lineup totally revamped their offense.

“He gives something we didn't have,” Foulk said. “We lost some guys last year, and he has the ability to spread the field. He’s a bigger guy and he's proven to be able to finish.”

Future plans

Aweanung admitted he misses certain aspects of living in Cameroon, especially his friends and family members. He keeps up with them regularly via WhatsApp, an internationally available messaging service.

That said, Aweanung is relishing in the new opportunities that came with moving to Colorado Springs.

As a junior, Aweanung has plenty of time to draw out his plans. Soccer is still Aweanung’s favorite sport, and he said he’d love to play in college.

“I want to play after high school,” he said.

But his dreams aren’t only soccer-related. Foulk said Aweanung has talked to him about possibly joining the United States Air Force or Space Force after graduating high school.

In only a few months coaching Aweanung, Foulk believes the star forward will achieve great success in several areas.

“He’s really ambitious,” Foulk said. “I think he has the tools to play (soccer) in college if he wanted to. He also gets really good grades, so he’s a model student-athlete.

“Courage has a bright future.”

Aweanung is also excited about the social opportunities living in the United States brings.

The junior said he looks forward to becoming closer with his teammates, who now give him a ride to practice, and others at Doherty. Aweanung also said he hopes to explore other parts of the U.S.

Adjusting to a new home took time for Aweanung. Moving is never easy, especially when it’s from another continent.

But he is slowly finding his niche in Doherty’s soccer program and in Colorado Springs.

“I came here to better my life, and I’m doing that,” Aweanung said.