Johnson signs to play football at Carroll College
—Photo by ERIC PLUMMER Pictured front row, from left to right: Carla Johnson, Sam Johnson and Kevin Johnson. Back row: Satini Puailoa, Kris Knowles and Chris Lassen.
SANDPOINT — After terrorizing left tackles last year as a pass rushing defensive end, Sandpoint senior Sam Johnson will now take his talents to the next level, signing a letter of intent to play football next season at Carroll College in Helena, Montana.
Johnson, who tied the SHS record with 14 sacks while also registering a team-high 107 tackles, received both athletic and academic scholarships and plans to study business at the Frontier Conference school.
Johnson liked the location of the school, as well as the close knit feel of the team, likening it to the Bulldogs. He's looking forward to testing his mettle against players that are bigger, faster and stronger in the college game.
“You go in there not on top of the food chain,” said Johnson, eager to earn his stripes. “The competition will help me know more about myself, see what I'm made of.”
Johnson, at 6-2, 220 pounds and with a 4.6 time in the 40, projects more as a linebacker at the college level, but with a trend toward lighter, quicker edge rushers, he could well continue chasing quarterbacks as a defensive end.
Former Bulldog head coach Satini Puailoa thinks Carroll will use Johnson as a speed rusher, where his sideline-to-sideline pursuit of the ball can be utilized.
“He's one of the best defensive ends this school has ever produced, and that's saying something,” claimed Puailoa, noting he competed against college-bound lineman at Central Valley and University last fall and more than held his own. “There wasn't one guy all season that could handle him.”
Johnson will now get the chance to play against several of his former teammates in the Frontier Conference, becoming the ninth player off this year's squad that will play college football next year.
Assistant coach Chris Lassen told Johnson after the season that he had too much talent not to give the college game a try, and feels that in the right system, he could continue to flourish. While the measurables are all there, it's another trait that could separate Johnson from the pack.
“He is super competitive. He was one of the orneriest kids in that whole group, we had to tone him down,” said Lassen, who praised the coaching last year of John Knowles in helping develop Johnson as an end. “A small, quick receiver turned into a large, dominant defensive end.”