It’s never easy moving to a new area, and that experience can be even more daunting for teenagers when forced to navigate the high school landscape minus the comforts of family and friends. But Forest Grove’s Guillermo Arce is doing just that, and he’s done so thanks in part to athletics.

Arce is an exchange student from Tarija, Bolivia, who’s spent the bulk of the last year in Forest Grove. Despite the popularity of fútbol back home, the senior chose American football over “the beautiful game” this past fall, kicking for the Vikings on the gridiron.

Wade Evanson covers high school sports in Washington and Columbia counties and the Hillsboro Hops.