WSU’s practice finishes on down note

• There were about 25 minutes left in practice when the Cougars ran a typical scrimmage play. But two players, defensive end Skylar Stormo and defensive tackle Toni Pole, didn’t get up when it was over. Right away it was easy to see Pole was in pain. Turns out more than likely it was for a good reason. He was helped off the field, his left knee iced and he left on a cart. Afterward Paul Wulff said it looked as if Pole had suffered some sort of MCL injury, though nothing definite would be determined until further tests were run. Stormo didn’t look nearly as bad, but he spent the rest of practice with ice on his left ankle. Meanwhile, while both were still on the field, center Taylor Meighen and defensive end Ian Knight got into a scuffle that took a while to calm down. Then Marquess Wilson limped off, favoring an ankle. A few minutes later Mike Ledgerwood and Anthony Carpenter collided on a tackle and both stayed down for a while. But by the end of practice those last three were moving better, with Ledgerwood and Carpenter returning to make plays. … The Pole injury, possibly only the second major one suffered by WSU this spring (Blair Bomber has an ACL problem that will require surgery after school is done) marred what was a good finish to what Wulff felt was a productive spring in Pullman. The Cougars will end spring practice Saturday in Spokane – road trip – with the third and final scrimmage, so our story for tomorrow’s paper was built around a couple players – Deone Bucannon and Wade Jacobson – outlining their respective units’ improvements. … This may have been the last Pullman practice and it was also the most well attended. There were a handful or so of recruits and their family members watching. Plus, freshman receiver Isiah Myers’ father, Lorenzo Wood, his mother and sister had made the trip up from Florida to watch. Wood is an athletic speed trainer and coached Myers, Henry Eaddy and Darryl Monroe as youths. … The Cougars have tomorrow off before packing their bags and making the trek the Spokane for Saturday’s game. Some players will be visiting with kids at Deaconess Hospital on Saturday, while the coaches will be part of a coaching clinic Friday night and Saturday morning. … By the way, you can read my story for tomorrow’s S-R here.

•••

• That’s all for tonight. We’ll be back in the morning. Until then …