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Luke Graham

Luke Graham's column appears Mondays in the Steamboat Today. Contact him at 970-871-4229 or e-mail lgraham@SteamboatToday.com.

Last week was an eventful one for Routt County sports. Here are a few notes from around the valley:

- National signing day has passed, and recruiting is in a whole new stratosphere. With the invention of recruiting Web sites - I pay $15 a month to know how a 17-year-old may or may not make a decision on school A or B with school C being a potential dark horse - it's sort of gotten out of hand. It's big business and at times sounds like it can get close to crossing lines ethically. Will it ever stop? Probably not, unless the NCAA does something. It's also not an exact science. This year's Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford, of Oklahoma, was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2006.

- The Hayden High School girls basketball team is for real. With just a lone loss on its record this year, and a ranking inside the top five, the Tigers look primed for a run in the postseason. The team's most impressive victory of the year may have come Friday in a 50-47 win against Meeker. The Tigers already had beaten the Cowboys - another top-10 Class 2A team - on the road earlier in the season. It's one thing to beat a top team once, but to do it twice in a month speaks volumes to what coach Eric Hamilton has going on in Hayden. Next up could be a rematch with top team Paonia in the district tournament.

- Despite a 1-1 weekend, the Steamboat Springs High School hockey team remains as dangerous as ever as the playoffs close in. With two regular season games left, Steamboat has the opportunity to still get a top-four seed in the Peak Conference. Even if the team doesn't, I don't think there are a lot of teams that want to see Steamboat on the opposing bench. The Sailors have proved they can compete with anybody, and maybe more importantly, they finally are starting to get healthy. With a full squad for the first time all season, Steamboat is more dangerous than ever. It also helps that Matt Dawes in goal can steal games away. If he gets hot before the playoffs, watch out. There's nothing like a hot goalie in the postseason.

- The best thing that could have happened to the Steamboat Springs High School boys basketball team happened Friday at Palisade. The Sailors squeaked by with a 50-44 win after trailing most of the game. Now Steamboat realizes teams are going to give the Sailors their best shot each night on the court. It was also refreshing to hear that Steamboat's two senior starters - Alex Wood and Nelson Brassell - told their team prior to the fourth quarter there was no way they were losing. If this keeps up, look for Steamboat to possibly get a No. 2 seed in a region of the Class 4A playoffs.

- To reach Luke Graham, call 871-4229 or e-mail lgraham@steamboatpilot.com