By RANDY GONZALES

rgonzales@dailynews.net

From Guinea in West Africa, to New York, to Maryland, to Victoria, Kan., to the Hays High School boys' soccer team.

Junior striker Ebu Camara has come a long way to be on the verge of setting HHS' single-season goal-scoring record.

Camara has 15 goals, one short of the record first set by Ben Clinkscales in 2004 and tied by Thayne Griffin in 2008.

Camara could tie or break the record in Thursday's regular-season finale at Elyria Christian.

"I just want to keep working with the team," Camara said. "It would be a great honor for me -- for the team, too."

And to think Hays High coach Chris Michaelis at first considered putting Camara on defense.

"I wasn't sure at the beginning of the season where I was going to play him. I actually thought about playing him as a defender," Michaelis said with a laugh. "But as I watched him practice more, I realized that would not be one of my smartest coaching decisions."

Camara has been helped up top by the presence of another scoring threat in senior forward Devin Schmidt, who has a career-high 11 goals this season.

"That is great," Camara said. "Devin and me, we're playing well together."

The presence of two scoring threats makes it tough on the defense. At times, teams have concentrated on Schmidt, leaving Camara free. Then they mark Camara, giving Schmidt space.

"That's what makes them such a nice, deadly combination," Michaelis said.

Schmidt had eight goals last season to pace HHS. He's noticed a difference this year, with Camara in the lineup.

"It's helped a lot," Schmidt said. "Last year, we didn't score that much. This year, it's definitely fun, (having) somebody else (who can score)."

It's been a long and winding road for Camara to get to where he is now. Camara's father passed away in 2007, the same year he moved from Guinea to the United States.

"The United States has good schools, good education, to go to college," Camara said.

Camara at first lived in New York for two years with his sister, then moved to Silver Spring, Md., to live with his brother. Camara's cousin, Qusmane Camara, was married and living in Victoria. Qusmane Camara also is a sophomore forward this fall for the Barton County Community College men's soccer team in Great Bend. He urged his younger cousin to move to Kansas.

"My cousin told me there is more opportunity here," Camara said. "It's not that big; it's a small town."

Camara lives in Victoria with his cousin's family and commutes each day to go to school at Hays High.

"I was going to go to Victoria High School, but they don't have a soccer team," Camara said.

Camara played drop-in soccer over the summer with players on the Hays High team, then enrolled at the school.

In the season opener, Camara scored the game-winning goal in overtime at Garden City. He added two-goal games against Maize South, Great Bend, Buhler, Garden City in the rematch and in the Indians' last game, a 2-1 overtime win at Wichita-Bishop Carroll. Hays High is 11-4, tied for the second-most wins in program history.

Now, Camara can make history.

"I think I'm going to do it the last game, against Elyria," Camara said. "I'm going to have the record."

Camara hasn't been back home since he left to come to the U.S. in 2007. He said he misses his family and friends, and the food, too.

At Hays High, he has a hunger to score goals. After the game-winner in the season opener, Camara took off his shirt to celebrate, just like you see in professional games on television. That's a no-no in high school, but Camara couldn't help himself.

"I was just excited to help my team win," Camara said.