In a year where family has been a central theme for the Poplar Bluff High School football team, it should come as no surprise to see more than one set of cousins playing key roles for the Mules.

Hunter and Colt Clifford are one of of two pairs of cousins to see significant playing time for Poplar Bluff — center Kade Busse and quarterback Jay Edmundson are the others — with Colt Clifford (sophomore) starting at safety for the Mules and senior Hunter Clifford playing slot receiver.

Head coach Jeff Mannon likes having actual family members playing key roles for the Mules as he emphasizes family in his first season at the Mules' helm.

“It's awesome, because it helps drive the point home,” Mannon said. “In a town like ours, you're going to have a lot of family members on the football team, and it lets us end up emphasizing that family aspect of everything. It just helps you show how you should treat your brother on the football team — I should take care of them, trust that they're doing their job, and trust that you're doing your job and things like that. It helps emphasize everything.”

Hunter Clifford echoes his coach's sentiments.

“Family's a huge theme this year for this team,” Hunter Clifford said. “The seniors have always been a really tight group, so it's just like us being family and then just actually having family members, it just keeps everybody a lot more tight. I feel like the group's been a lot closer this year than previous years.”

Mannon said the Cliffords bring effort and intelligence to the field for Poplar Bluff.

“Those guys, they give you everything they've got in practice and everything they've got in the game,” Mannon said. Hunter's coming into his senior year, and Colt's a sophomore, so he's really young and really learning on the fly. … Just the football IQ of both of them is just awesome to have on the field.”

Hunter Clifford said “there's nothing really like it” when it comes to playing alongside his first cousin.

“Everybody else is just like family out there too, but being actually related is very cool,” Hunter Clifford said. “We've grown up together playing through all sports, and it's always been fun. And I'm just glad we get to experience getting on the field together.”

Colt Clifford loves the opportunity to play alongside his cousin.

“I think I've been wanting to do it ever since I was a kid, and it's a blessing for sure, that God gave us the talent to be able to play with each other,” Colt Clifford said. “I just thank Him for it every day.”

Hunter Clifford points to the connection he has with his cousin as an asset for the Mules this season.

“Having that connection is just like we're on the same (wavelength),” Hunter Clifford said. “We just read each other's minds. We know where each other's going to be at all times, and it's easy just to read each other.”

The Cliffords have been on the gridiron together since junior high, Hunter Clifford said.

“He played pee-wee football and I always played soccer,” Hunter Clifford said. “But once we hit junior high, we started playing together, and then high school's when we really started to get on the field together.”

Said Colt Clifford: “I remember back during holidays — and every time we'd hang out — we'd go out in the backyard and throw the football around or play other sports, and just having that competitive feeling for the sport.”

Even though this season is less than halfway over, Hunter Clifford said some of his best memories of playing with his cousin have came in these last few weeks.

“He's my slot receiver on my side, so he blocks for me quite a bit, and I block for him,” Hunter Clifford said.”We're always on the same page, it feels like, on the field.”

Colt Clifford echoes those sentiments, pointing to last Friday's win at Chaminade being a highlight — not only was it Mannon's first win as a head coach, but it also was the Mules' first win ever over the St. Louis-area private school.

“I think it brought us closer as cousins — and beating a college prep, I think it brought the team closer together too,” Colt Clifford said.

And that all dovetails with Mannon's emphasis on the Mules as family this season.

“That's way I see it with the community (is) community and football are one and the same,” Mannon said. “I want the community to feel supported and I want family to feel like they're part of the football team and things like that.”

Colt Clifford echoes his coach's sentiments.

“At first, we were just getting to know a couple of the new faces around with the new coaches, but as the summer has went on and as we keep on practicing and getting closer to playoffs, we've came really close together,” Colt Clifford said. “I think we're going to be the one of the strongest teams come playoff time.”

Notes: Hunter Clifford's mother Leah Clifford and Colt's dad J.C. Clifford are siblings. … J.C. Clifford was a high school teammate of Mannon's on the Mules in 1999 and 2000, with both helping the Mules capture their most recent district title in 2000.