Pictured front row, from left to right: Sam Palmer and Dirk Palmer. Back row: Assistant coach Crosby Tajan, head coach Satini Puailoa and assistant coach Chris Lassen. Palmer will be playing football next season in the Frontier Conference. (Photo by ERIC PLUMMER)

SANDPOINT — Featuring good size, fundamentals and a rock solid work ethic, Sandpoint offensive lineman Sam Palmer is taking his game to the next level, signing this week to play football next season for Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon.

Palmer, a 6-2, 265 pound all-league offensive lineman for the Bulldogs as a senior, liked how the Eastern coaches communicated with the players on his official visit, and is thrilled to keep playing the sport he loves in college.

“I get a chance to do something I’ve always dreamt of doing,” said Palmer of playing in college. “It’s been a thought in the back of my mind, now it’s come true. It’s kind of mind blowing. I’ll be going off in seven months to play in college.”

Palmer will have 75 percent of his tuition paid for, and plans to study either physical therapy or psychology at the NAIA school, a member of the Frontier Conference in athletics.

Palmer calls himself a hard worker, and played a large roll in paving the way for a humongous season on the ground for the Bulldogs. He loves the constant challenge that football provides, and will be open to playing on either the offensive and defensive lines in La Grande, or wherever the coaches see fit.

“I love being part of the team and working towards a never-ending goal,” he said. “You can always get better.”

Sandpoint offensive line coach Crosby Tajan believes Palmer will adjust fine to the rigors, both mentally and physically, of the college game.

“He’s got a great base with size and strength. He’ll go in ahead of most of the freshman,” said Tajan, a former offensive lineman at Idaho. “He’s a big, powerful kid that plays with a nice, low pad level.”

Assistant Chris Lassen and the other Sandpoint coaches saw potential in Palmer, and Lassen told him early in the season that football could be a way to punch his ticket to get out of Dodge.

“We could see it from the beginning, then he went and worked for it,” said Lassen. “Every day I’d say ‘you’re here punching your ticket.’ ”