What’s better than a rivalry game? Two, of course.

That’s exactly what fans of the football teams at Manchester and Clinton high schools received last year when the Flying Dutchmen and Redskins squared off in the first and 11th weeks of the season.

Manchester won both games in 2009, the first a 20-14 double overtime affair in Manchester, the latter an 11-0 playoff win in front of a capacity crowd at Adrian College.

The 109th playing of the rivalry game happens Thursday night at Eastern Michigan’s Rynearson Stadium in the 5:15 p.m. kickoff game of the Big Day Prep Showdown.

Both Manchester coach Wes Gall and Clinton coach Scott McNitt agree there’s nothing quite like starting the season at home, in front of their rabidly loyal small-town fans on a Friday night. But both also agreed that playing at a Division 1 college venue was an opportunity too unique to pass up.

“We know playing in a college stadium isn’t something that most of these kids will ever get to experience again,” said Gall. “I’m sure our fans will travel and the atmosphere will be there. I’m trying to find all the positives, but I’m sure someone could point out some negatives if they tried.”

“The opportunity to play in a Division 1 stadium doesn’t come around every day and any time we have the opportunity to give our kids a new experience, we’re going to take advantage of that opportunity,” McNitt said.

So the first game of my high school football predictions column career presents no home field advantage, but poses the question of which is more important: skill positions or the grunts in the trenches?

Manchester graduated Washtenaw County’s second leading passer, Logan Zigila (1,930 yards, 15 touchdowns through the air, six on the ground), two of the team’s top three receivers, and its leading rusher, D.J. Hone (774 yards, 11 TDs). But the Flying Dutchmen will have a powerful line, led by three-year starters Dylan Neff and Ben Stachnik.

Meanwhile, Clinton brings back most of its skill players but lost every one of its starting offensive and defensive linemen from 2009.

Running the ball and defense normally determines the winner of this rivalry. So, I’ll take the hosses of Manchester in an ode to my colleague Rich Rezler, who gracefully manned this column space for the Ann Arbor News and AnnArbor.com for years … and has a soft spot for power-football. Manchester, 21-13.

Here are the rest of my Week 1 predictions, with each teams’ 2009 record in parentheses. Think you know better? Vote in our interactive polls below.

Milan (6-4) at Ypsilanti (1-8): All the players in this game were either in diapers or a twinkle in their parents’ eyes the last time the Big Reds lost a season opener (1993). Milan, 35-10.

Chelsea (8-3) vs. Huron (5-4)*: Chelsea may have lost its all-time leading rusher and last year’s AnnArbor.com and AP Division 3-4 Player of the Year Nick Hill (word on the street is he’s tearing up the practice fields in East Lansing), but the Bulldogs have won 10 of their last 12 season openers. The Rats, on the other hand, haven’t won an opener since 2004. It’ll be hard to live up to the knock-down, drag-out brawl that was last year’s 35-29 thriller between these teams, but here’s hoping it does. Chelsea, 30-27.

Pioneer (8-3) vs. Detroit Cass Tech (6-4)*: This year’s Saturday showcase game doesn’t quite have the hype of the Pioneers’ showdown with the Devin Gardner-led Inkster last year, which Pioneer won on a last-minute, 15-yard touchdown run by Drake Johnson. Pioneer returns its top two runners in Terrell Moran and Johnson (763 and 759 yards, respectively), but none of the linemen that blocked for them. Pioneer, 32-21.

Skyline (7-2 as JV) at Hartland (4-5): Skyline has never played a varsity game. Hartland’s no juggernaut, but some experience trumps none any day of the week, and twice on Friday nights. Hartland, 42-21.

Belleville (3-6) at Saline (3-6): Saline is one of only two Washtenaw County teams playing on home turf this week. There were very few highlights for the Hornets in a largely disappointing 2009 season, but beating up on the Tigers was one of them. Saline, 28-10.

Dexter (3-6) at Garden City (0-9): Dexter had six sophomores on a team that trounced the Cougars 43-0 in their first-ever varsity game last year. The rematch should bring back good memories. Dexter 50-8.

Whitmore Lake (4-5) at Stockbridge (9-2): The Barry Pierson era at Whitmore Lake begins with only 44 players in the entire program, a varsity squad that is mostly sophomores with little varsity experience and just two players weighing more the 200 pounds. Stockbridge, 50-6.

Willow Run (5-4) at Detroit PEC (0-0): Detroit PEC is in its first year as a varsity program and its “feeder program” is currently a coed middle school flag football team. Enough said. Willow Run, 45-6.

Lincoln (2-7) at Mason (8-2): Five turnovers on offense and surrendering two touchdowns on special teams doomed the Railsplitters in last year’s opener versus the perennial playoff contending Bulldogs. Mason 31-20.

Father Gabriel Richard (8-2) at Lake Fenton (6-4): The Fighting Irish lost three-year starting quarterback Josh Herbeck to graduation, but return a slew of experienced players from last year’s Prep Bowl championship team. Richard, 24-17.

*Part of the Big Day Prep Showdown, Saturday, Aug. 25 at EMU.

Pete Cunningham covers sport for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.