When Sandi Beganovic starts talking, it's easy to assume a common Southern term: "You ain't from 'round here, are ya?'"
But indeed he is.
Beganovic attended Rivermont Elementary School and Red Bank Middle School and is now a senior at Red Bank High School, where he has taken his soccer skills to the football field.
His parents - mother Antonija and father Suad - are the ones who suffered through the Bosnian War, became refugees and found a new life in the Chattanooga area.
"My first language was Bosnian," Beganovic said. "I remember my mom used to teach me, in the weeks before I started school, how to say (in English), 'Can I use the bathroom?' and stuff.
"Things like 'My name is Sandi.' Things like 'Hi. How are you?' All of the basics."
Beganovic has grown up in many ways since then. He knows the English language as well as any other high school senior, including the basic Southern terms, slang and phrases. But for family reasons he stays in practice in his original language.
"They try to get me to use Bosnian so I keep it for life," Beganovic said. "I force myself to think in Bosnian, too."
There's no translation of American football to Bosnian when he talks with family members six time zones ahead of Eastern time. It's difficult enough for Beganovic to understand the game, let alone translate it to grandparents and cousins.
"They know it's American football, but it would be hard explaining the concept and the details," he said. "I still don't fully understand football. I watched it as a kid and picked up a few things like scoring and the positions. I still don't know the plays yet."
He does know how to take his steps, wait for the ball to be placed and boot it through the uprights for one or three points. His long this season is a 46-yard field goal that he booted against Soddy-Daisy in the season-opening game.
It's a little different than kicking a soccer ball. The point of contact, especially when the ball is on a tee, is a little different than the soccer sphere. Beganovic has been playing soccer for most of his life, even though basketball is the sport he loved first.
His talents on the pitch have landed Beganovic a spot on the Tennessee Boys Olympic Development Program team.
His ability to kick a football may take him to college.
"We've put floaters out there to see what happens," Red Bank coach Chad Grabowski said. "He's good enough to be a college football kicker at the Division I level. We have connections in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, all over."
The difficult situation is that Beganovic is in his first season as a place-kicker. He has not attended any kicking camps or had college recruiters scout his ability.
"Getting a kicker a scholarship can be tough if nobody's seen him," Grabowski said. "But it's also easy because every college coach is looking for the next great kicker who can win you games."
The idea of earning a scholarship to play football sounds very appealing to Beganovic, who has two younger sisters at Red Bank. It's a thought that never crossed his mind until this summer.
"If they are offering me a full scholarship, it's something that I'm willing to take," Beganovic said. "So far, I really enjoy football."
Beganovic is on the team because of the persistent prodding from Grabowski as well as a few teammates who knew the Lions (1-4) needed a kicker this season.
"It's my senior year, so I said, 'Why not try football in my last year?'" said Beganovic, whose personal best is a 52-yard field goal he made during practice.
The Beganovic family arrived in the Chattanooga area in 1997 following the war in Bosnia. Nearly 100,000 people died in the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
"It was a very hard time for teenagers because you don't want to spend those years in the war," Mrs. Beganovic said. "For me, it wasn't too bad because I was in a safe city. My husband was in a pretty bad situation, which is why his parents sent him to high school in my country."
After the war, they moved to the United States with the assistance of Church World Service.
"We were refugees, and refugees are people who escaped their country but can't go back," Mrs. Beganovic said. "My husband is Muslim and I am Catholic. Since we were a mixed married (couple), they accepted us right away."
The United Methodist Church in St. Elmo helped the family get on its feet in the Chattanooga area.
"We had some money and two suitcases of clothes," Mrs. Beganovic said. "I was pretty good with English, but my husband spoke none. One of the members of the church had a yarn company, and he gave us a job right away."
At the time, football seemed like a foreign concept. Now the entire family is a fan of the sport.
"I couldn't believe that (Sandi) would just go for it," Mrs. Beganovic said. "I was pretty scared at first. I always think football players are very big and he's so petite.
"But he loves it."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP