SAN DIEGO – Spend a few minutes with Amha Abebe, and it's hard not to be impressed by his physique and composure.

Francis Parker High football coach John Morrison said he believes the 6-foot, 175-pound Abebe is one of the best-conditioned athletes he has seen.

Abebe, 16, a native of Chicago, smiled as he put on his shoulder pads before a Lancers practice. The movements were a simple reminder of how far he has come. Last December, he wasn't thinking about football. On the heels of a strep infection, Abebe contracted rheumatic fever, putting him in the hospital before Christmas and again in January.

“Instead of creating antibodies that killed the strep infection, the antibodies were eating up my heart and brain,” Abebe said. “A month later the symptoms started to manifest themselves.”

Abebe was no longer acting like himself. Once quick-witted and happy, he hardly slept. His powerful body became weak. He was depressed. To friends and teammates, Abebe was hardly recognizable.

Then things got worse. Abebe developed Sydenham's chorea, a complication caused by rheumatic fever that affects the nervous system.

“It's just really weird,” Abebe said. “They started off as nervous ticks and then it just built up until I couldn't control it. My whole body was shaking.”

Abebe's mother, Sandra Snook, said she has never been more scared in her life.

“He's always been the healthiest kid in the family and just a rock for his siblings,” Snook said. “It was several weeks before we knew what the illness was. I didn't know if I was ever going to see my son again.”

With the correct antibiotics, Abebe recovered.

“It was scary serious,” Morrison said. “It not only changed him physically, but it changed him mentally. He wasn't the Amha we knew for a long time before they could get the medication right. If you knew him a year ago, it's totally unlike anything we have ever seen with Amha or we see now.”

Abebe returned to school in January after missing nearly a month. He caught up in his classes but had to sit out the soccer and lacrosse seasons. He wasn't cleared to resume sports until summer.

“I felt horrible sitting around and not doing anything,” said Abebe, who occupied his time reading and playing World of Warcraft on his computer.

The return to football took longer than anticipated. During summer weight-lifting, Abebe at first showed very little strength. After many workouts, he saw his speed return along with his smile.

Abebe, the son of a former Ethiopian refugee who now owns a restaurant in Chicago, credits his family for helping him through the comeback.

After Abebe's parents divorced, his mother adopted four Ethiopian children and moved the family to Carmel Valley. She began serving on the board of directors for African Cradle, a nonprofit organization that places Ethiopian orphans with families.

At Abebe's suggestion, the children take turns going out one night a week for dinner and a movie with their mother, a tradition shared for the past 11 years.

“It sounds almost cliché to say, but he's a team player,” Snook said. “He's always been really supportive of his siblings.”

Abebe is often overshadowed on the football field by other Lancers, yet his contributions are key for a Francis Parker team that finished unbeaten in the Coastal League. Abebe plays defensive back and receiver and is dangerous on special teams. He has returned kickoffs 88 and 97 yards for touchdowns.

Morrison said he knew there would be challenges with Abebe's return but couldn't imagine the Lancers without him.

“It's just very gratifying. I don't take any credit for Amha,” Morrison said. “He came to us as a wonderful person.”

Francis Parker (9-1) will host Calvin Christian (9-1) at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the Division V quarterfinals. Abebe said he wants to celebrate a San Diego Section title.

“What I'm looking forward to most is the championship and winning it,” Abebe said. “I would just be feeling like everything was worth it. A great sense of fulfillment.”