High school sports: Top 10 stories of 2009

1. Realignment

Nothing was more talked about or had a bigger impact on the landscape of high school sports in Utah than realignment.

From January to July the impending realignment changed the way schools prepared for the upcoming seasons, and in the past five months those changes became a reality. In the end, 21 high schools changed classifications beginning in 2009.

The changes altered regions throughout the state not to mention the competitive balance of most classifications. Realignment increased 5A and 4A to 29 teams. Class 3A shrunk a bit to 21 teams, while 2A shrank to 17 teams and 1A increased to 29 teams.

In the fall sports season, almost every school that jumped up a classification struggled, adding more credibility to people who were outwardly opposed to realignment in its current form.

With three and a half more years to go in the current alignment, talk about the new regions will inevitably die down, but it will surely pick in 2012 when new realignment proposals become public.

2. West upsets invincible Provo

Virtually nobody gave West a chance against No. 1 Provo in the 4A boys basketball championship game at the E Center last March, and understandably so. The Panthers hadn't won a state championship since 1975, whereas Provo had won 11 titles during that span including two straight — not to mention an impressive 40-game winning streak.

West never let the history become intimidating. Despite Provo's talented duo of Kyle Collinsworth and Kyle Davies, West built a double-digit lead in the first half. Provo battled back to tie the game in the third quarter, but led by Chris Barnes and Tyrell Corbin the Panthers very methodically pulled away in the fourth quarter for the improbable state championship.

3. Kings of 4A mountain

In a season when Timpview's 36-game winning streak came to an end, it lost to a pair of 5A teams, and it lost Bronson Kaufusi to a season-ending knee injury, there were plenty of reasons to believe the T-Birds' dominance of 4A was in jeopardy.

Hogwash.

Timpview plowed through the state tournament with lopsided victories over Olympus, Spanish Fork, Mountain Crest and Springville to claim its fourth straight championship by ending the season on a 10-game winning streak.

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