The unofficial end of the summer is rapidly approaching. It may not feel like it with temperatures still in the 90s, but the 2009 high school football season is just around the corner — Aug. 21 to be exact — and excitement is at an all-time high as well.

The quality of high school football in Utah continues to get better each year, and last year's championship games were collectively some of the best in recent memory. The average margin of victory in the five title games was five points.

A record 99 schools will field teams this year, including two new schools in Utah County and another in Tooele County. Even though not much is expected of these new schools, big things are expected of powerhouse programs such as Alta and Timpview in their quest for more hardware. Beginning Sunday, the Deseret News will start offering insight into the 2009 season and what fans can expect with previews from all 15 regions.

Individual previews for all 99 teams will also be published in the coming weeks online at deseretnews.com.

Twenty-one of these schools begin the 2009 season under the direction of new coaches, which includes some familiar faces such as Jay Graft, Clint Christiansen and Mike Smith. This season is also a realignment year, with 20 schools changing classifications.

Here's a look at five compelling stories to pay attention to heading into the 2009 season.

1. Realignment's impact: When the UHSAA released its final draft regarding realignment last November, it had some dramatic implications on 20 schools in particular. Many people were shocked that schools such as Cyprus, Granger, Murray, West and Roy were being bumped up to 5A despite considerable struggles competing in 4A.

The same was said in 4A about the promotion of Ogden and Uintah from 3A.

Realistically, realignment's biggest impact was felt in the smaller classifications. Four 2A schools made the jump to 3A, and four 1A schools made the jump to 2A. The departure of those bigger 1A schools encouraged Whitehorse and Monument Valley to abandon their independent schedule and return to play football in Utah.

Of all the teams that bounced around, Cottonwood is the most likely to make an impact in its new classification. It finished with a 13-1 record in 4A last year, and figures to be a top-five team in 5A in 2009.

2. The super regions: Realignment didn't just shuffle teams around, it created a few super regions. One coach went so far as to call his region the SEC of Utah high school football. But will Regions 4 and 11 be as good as advertised?