Sharif Williams suffered a leg injury late in the first half. ESPN3 screenshot
Arizona football recruit Sharif Williams, a defensive tackle who committed to the Wildcats late last month, suffered what was described in a newspaper account as a “gruesome” leg injury in his team’s season-opener Saturday night.
Williams is one of three UA recruits from Fresno (Calif.) Central East High, which was on the road at Valor Christian High in Highlands Ranch, Colo., to begin the season, televised by ESPN2.
Williams was injured late in the first half and was down on the field for about 20 minutes while medical personnel attended to his injured lower left leg. He was taken off the field on a cart, giving a big thumbs up to the crowd, before being taken by ambulance to a hospital.
There was no immediate update on the severity of the injury.
Valor Christian won 31-7 in a game stopped in the third quarter because of lightning.
Four-star running back Nick Wilson, also committed to Arizona, ran for 68 yards on 11 carries before suffering a shoulder injury late in the first half. He was held out the rest of the game for what the Fresno Bee described as “precautionary reasons.”
It was a much better night for another UA recruit — Salpointe Catholic receiver Cameron Denson. The Lancers routed Henderson (Nev.) Liberty High 42-7 in a game in Las Vegas. Denson had five receptions for 118 yards, with touchdown catches of 75 and 8 yards.
Teammate Kaelin Deboskie, in his first season at Salpointe after transferring from Heritage High in Colleyville, Texas, made five catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns, including a 70-yarder to start the scoring 17 seconds into the game.
Deboskie is likely to decide between Arizona, Arizona State and Oklahoma State.