By Don Ketchum

Whether it’s hitting the beach, fishing out of a cool mountain stream or simply lounging by the backyard pool, it’s always nice to get away from whatever one needs to get away from.

But for high school football players and coaches around the state, those precious minutes, hours and days are rapidly ticking away as the 2011 season sets its watch.

Most teams will be heading to preseason camps away from their normal residences, either in-state or out. Then come the practices leading up to the season openers.

The season begins with the Barry Sollenberger Kickoff Classic double-header on Aug. 20 (Saturday) at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

Two Nevada teams will be matched against a pair of Arizona state champions. Moapa Valley, Nev. will take on Class 3A winner Show Low, followed by the contest between Bishop Gorman, Nev. against Class 5A Division II champ Scottsdale Chaparral.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association’s realignment kicks in with new divisions and sections, and the computers that made the schedules did so with less travel in mind, focusing on geographic opponents as much as possible. The schedules were made public by the AIA on July 1.

The opening-night games are on Friday, Aug. 26.

Among games of interest are Phoenix Horizon at Phoenix North Canyon, Cave Creek Cactus Shadows at Anthem Boulder Creek, Tucson Ironwood Ridge at Tucson Canyon del Oro, Glendale Independence at Glendale Ironwood, Tempe McClintock at Tempe, Gilbert Mesquite at Gilbert Highland, Kayenta Monument Valley at Chinle, Phoenix Mountain Pointe at Chandler Hamilton, Marana Mountain View at Marana, Mesa Mountain View at Scottsdale Desert Mountain, Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain at Prescott, Tucson Sabino at Vail Cienega, Phoenix Camelback at Phoenix South Mountain, Casa Grande Vista Grande at Coolidge, Glendale Apollo at Peoria and Cottonwood Mingus at Lakeside Blue Ridge.

As has been the case in recent years, there will be a handful of games on Thursday nights, starting on Sept. 1. Some of those Thursday games and many of the Friday offerings will be available on streaming video on the AIA’s flagship Web site, AIA365.com.

The Sept. 1 games will have Tempe Prep at Chandler Valley Christian and Phoenix Thunderbird at Scottsdale Saguaro. Thunderbird was the Class 4A Division II champion in 2010 and Saguaro captured the Class 4A Division I title.

Some of the top games on Friday, Sept. 2 will be Chaparral at Tempe Marcos de Niza, Gilbert at Highland, Tuba City Greyhills at Tuba City, Holbrook at Winslow, Peoria Centennial at Goodyear Millennium, Mesa Desert Ridge at Mesa Mountain View, Tucson Salpointe Catholic at Tucson, San Carlos at Globe, Round Valley at St. Johns, Surprise Willow Canyon at Surprise Valley Vista, Benson at Willcox, Fort Thomas at Superior, Show Low at Florence, and Santa Fe (Calif.) at Hamilton.

The Round Valley-St. Johns clash is particularly intriguing because former St. Johns star Marcus Bell, who played at the University of Arizona and briefly in the NFL, is now the coach at Round Valley. Also worth watching will be new Vista Grande at Coolidge. Vista Grande coach Carlo Hernandez won back-to-back 3A titles at Coolidge in 2005 and 2006 and a runner-up trophy in 2004.

Quite a few new coaches will be making their debuts on the sideline on Aug. 26 and Sept. 2.

*Todd Williamson moves from Phoenix Central to Phoenix St. Mary’s. The man he replaces, Eddy Zubey, moved on to Gilbert Higley.

*Noteworthy newcomers in southern Arizona are Mark Schaefer at Sierra Vista Buena, Glenn Posey at Tucson Sunnyside, Justin Argraves at Tucson, Adrian Koch at Tucson Pueblo and David Rodriguez at Sahuarita.

*Long-time Mesa Mountain View leader Tom Joseph returns to the Tempe district at Corona del Sol. He was at Marcos de Niza before going to Mountain View. Chad DeGrenier is now at Mountain View, bringing a wide-open offensive style from Cave Creek Cactus Shadows.

*Conrad Hamilton helped Scottsdale Chaparral win back-to-back 5A-II titles as a defensive coordinator and now is his own boss at Phoenix North Canyon. Former North Canyon coach Brian Cole tries his hand at the eight-man game at Glendale Joy Christian, a member of Division VI, Section III.

*Greg Davis is at Cactus Shadows and Matt Lewis is at Tempe McClintock.

*Former long-time Flagstaff High coach Craig Holland takes the reins at Avondale Agua Fria and Justin McDonald leads the way at Apache Junction.

*Mike Alba is at Safford and Willie Dudley is at Phoenix Scottsdale Christian.

Bookmark AIA365.com and refer to it for game coverage and feature stories throughout the season.