Future Cougs: Sankey shines, Clements injured

WASHINGTON STATE verbal commit Bishop Sankey of Spokane launched his senior season in style Friday night. The 5-11, 190-pound running back piled up 235 ground yards on 23 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead his Gonzaga Prep Bullpups to a 45-21 win over Shalde Park.

Sankey is rated a four-star prospect by Scout.com and one of the top 20 senior running backs in the nation. Last season he rushed for 2,011 yards and 17 TDs and earned consensus All-State honors.

Sankey's output came with a twist. When G-Prep's starting quarterback left the game with an injury, the Bullpups started shotgun snapping directly to Sankey.

Sankey is one of 12 known verbal commitments WSU has secured for its 2011 recruiting class. One of the other high-profile pick ups in the class is quarterback Cody Clements of La Habra, Calif. He also made his 2010 debut Friday night and threw a scare into his fans when he went down with a knee injury late in the fourth quarter of a nailbiting battle with fellow southern California powerhouse Orange Lutheran.

Clements returned to action a series later, with 40 seconds left on the clock, but then left after taking two snaps. The seriousness of his injury isn’t known at this point. Orange Lutheran won 21-17.

Clements, who is rated by Scout as the No. 73 QB prospect in the country, completed 21 of 29 passes for 248 yards on Friday. He threw one TD pass and rushed for a TD.