They’re the Clare cousins, Mitch Greenacre and Patrick Hughes. They were both in the football program in 2009 when the Pioneers went to the state title game at Ford Field.
They were on the field for their senior season as the Pioneers, after an 0-2 start, won seven in a row to take the Jack Pine Conference title.
Greenacre plays left guard and middle linebacker for the Pioneers and has started both ways since his sophomore season. He was on junior varsity as a freshman.
“I think that we’re playing pretty well,” he said. “We’ve been playing good as a team lately. I can get better, of course. You can always get better. I feel like we’re playing good football and I’m playing good.”
Greenacre indicated that defense is his best position. “My role is to be a leader and getting everyone to where they’re supposed to be and getting the defense and everybody fired up to play,” he said.
He has been leading the team in tackles with about 92 after the first eight games. Last year, he had 145 tackles. Making his reads and having strong tackling ability have been assets for him. He has also had some interceptions this year.
“It’s not really a young defense; we’ve had seven of 11 back from last year’s defense, but not all those kids came back and started,” Greenacre said. “Our interior linemen and linebackers are experienced, and we know what we’re doing. We’re doing our jobs and getting turnovers.”
The offensive line duties for Greenacre “have kind of been the same, being a leader and making sure everyone knows what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re an experienced line back from last year.”
The offense has been able to sustain long drives in recent games, Greenacre noted. “We’re not changing as much, we’re more of a run team this year,” he added.
His football career is winding down, and Greenacre can safely say he ‘s had a “great experience” with Clare football.
“It’s fortunate to play for coaches that know what they’re doing and are able to win,” he said. “Not a lot of teams are able to go through what we have. In my three years, we’ve lost only six games.”
They’ve also won the Jack Pine all three years.
Hughes plays offensive left tackle and defensive tackle. He moved up for playoffs his freshman year when the Pioneers went to the state finals and played at Ford Field. He’s been a three-year starter both ways.
“I think I’ve improved a lot from last year,” Hughes said. “From camps I went to over the summer, I’ve gotten way better. I’m quicker and I’ve gotten much stronger. I’m way smarter on the field.”
Hughes said he’s a better offensive lineman than he is a defender. Evenn so, he was all-Jack Pine Conference tackle on both sides of the ball last year and honorable mention as a sophomore.
“This season, the first two games, the team wasn’t working together,” Hughes said. “We weren’t united as one yet. We’ve won [seven] straight in the Jack Pine. We’re working together. If we keep up the work we have been doing, we could go as far as we want to.”
Hughes, also a shot putter and discus thrower on the track team, won’t ever forget the 2009 title game.
“Running through the tunnel on the field, it was so loud; I remember it was like it was yesterday,” he said. “Everyone in Clare County, I swear, was there.”