Pigskin picks: Who will prevail under Bayside South's Friday Night Lights in week 1?

Week 1 of Bayside Conference football is just a day away as Eastern Shore teams put on the helmet and pads and look to get off to a good start this year. And there will be exciting matchups for football fans in the first week of the season.

Salisbury's Wi-Hi and Parkside will each kick off their seasons at home at County Stadium on Friday and Saturday, while Washington hosts a familiar Bayside Conference foe. Snow Hill and James M. Bennett go on the road to face teams they don't typically face playing in the Bayside South. Stephen Decatur's official start to the season, however, will have to wait as Queen Anne's had to forfeit their scheduled Week 1 game with the Seahawks.

Here are the previews and my predictions for Week 1 of Bayside South football:

Game of the Week: Linganore at Wicomico

Sept. 1 | 6 p.m. | Wicomico County Stadium

Wi-Hi will start its first campaign under new head coach James McMurdo on Friday night at home at Wicomico County Stadium. But the team they'll be facing will be one from all the way on the other side of Maryland, as they host the Linganore Lancers from Frederick County.

Wi-Hi returns some talent in key places from last year's team that finished in the upper half of the Bayside Conference and won a playoff game, especially on the offensive line, where they hope to dominate the line of scrimmage. And behind that offensive line will be new, dynamic quarterback Takai Hugee, who transferred in from Delmar and will start for Wi-Hi.

It will be interesting to see if this year's offense will continue the exciting, big-play ability Wi-Hi has been known for in the last few years when players like Darius Foreman, Malique Leatherbury and Jayce Freeman were starring for them, or if they'll pick up a new style of play.

Their opponents, the Lancers, are coming off a 5-6 season last year, one year removed from going 12-1 and making it to the Class 3A state title game before falling short during the 2021 season. Before last season, Linganore had not lost more than two games in a season since 2016, and were a consistent fixture in the state championship game each fall. The Lancers will definitely be looking to get back to their winning ways this year, and they'll have the chance to do that when they make the trip to Wicomico County this weekend.

First games of the season can be tricky when it comes to predictions, as you try to get a feel for teams while the teams themselves are also trying to establish their own identities. Going up against a traditional football powerhouse in Maryland will be a good test for Wi-Hi before they begin their Bayside games in a week, but ultimately, the Lancers walk away with the win Friday night.

Pick: Linganore

Colonel Richardson at Washington

Sept. 1 | 6 p.m. | Washington High School

As one of three teams in the Bayside South with a new head coach, Washington's first season under Alec Meintzer also starts at home Friday, as they face a fellow 1A Bayside school the Colonel Richardson Colonels.

Washington has not won a game since it opted out of playing in the condensed spring 2021 season, and will look to change that this year. The Colonels are a tough draw for a team looking to get off to a good start this year, as they are typically at the top of the food chain when it comes to the Bayside's 1A football teams.

Pick: Colonel Richardson

Snow Hill at Annapolis Area Christian School

Sept. 1 | 6 p.m.

Snow Hill, the third Bayside South team with a new coach this year, will be on the road this Friday, as Raheem Hammond's squad travels to Annapolis Area Christian School for a battle against another school nicknamed the Eagles.

If you've followed the Snow Hill football team the last two years, you'll likely recognize a lot of their key playmakers as they become seniors, most notably Zyheem Collick, who has played and produced all over the field for Snow Hill throughout his career.

They'll be facing a team in Annapolis Area Christian that has struggled in recent years, winning only one game last year and two the year prior. Annapolis does already have a game played under its belt heading into Friday's matchup, as it lost to St. Paul's the week prior.

Pick: Snow Hill

More: 'Coaching the whole kid': James McMurdo starts 1st season as new Wi-Hi head football coach

More: Marquee matchups: What to watch for in Bayside South football, soccer and field hockey

James M. Bennett at Polytech (DE)

Sept. 1 | 7 p.m.

The Bennett Clippers are set to start their season on the road, as they travel up to Delaware to face the Henlopen Conference's Polytech Panthers.

This will be year two for the Clippers under head coach Greg Lasinski, as they also try to bounce back from consecutive winless seasons since COVID-19. They return a few players who played key roles for them last year, including quarterback Zakai Smullen.

This Polytech team the Clippers are facing is coming off consecutive losing seasons in Delaware, as they also look to become a consistent winning program in their own conference. So both teams coming into this game will be motivated to get off on the right foot as they each look to turn things around.

Though Bennett hasn't had success in the win column in the last two years, if you watched the team as the year went on, you could see them making strides and improving as a group.

Pick: Bennett

Kent Island at Parkside

Sept. 2 | 12 p.m. | Wicomico County Stadium

The final opening-week game in the Bayside South will be at Wicomico County Stadium as the Parkside Rams begin their campaign against a Bayside team that was one of the best in all of Maryland last year.

The Kent Island Buccaneers, the two-time defending Bayside Conference champions and last year's Class 2A runner-up, will make the trip to Wicomico County early Saturday to play Parkside. They'll be replacing a lot of key players from last year's team, none more important than reigning Bayside MVP Kasey Heath, who ran over opposing defenses with little resistance.

Parkside will rely on a mix of experienced players who starred for the Rams last year and new faces who will step into roles this year. Senior running back Nasir Holden made a lot of waves last year as an explosive weapon out of the backfield, and will likely carry the playmaking load for the Rams this season.

There will be an opportunity for Parkside to get an early jump on a new-look Buccaneers team that has to travel for an early Saturday morning game in Week 1. It shouldn't be a surprise if Parkside makes this a close, low-scoring game, especially considering these are two teams that traditionally are physical, run-oriented offenses.

Pick: Kent Island

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Bayside South high school football predictions for Week 1