CLEVER, Mo. — Mark and Matt Christoffer grew up like many brothers: they competed, fought, and sometimes got scolded.
When they would scuffle or argue, their mother would make them hug out on the lawn for five minutes so that everyone could see them.
Boys will be boys.
That stuck with them as they grew up in Clever and on the basketball court. Matt admitted his temper has been known to flare up during games. He’s gotten better about it recently, but he still gets some chirps.
“I hear a lot of: ‘Hey, I’ve got the kid with the goggles.’ or ‘The kid with the goggles has an attitude, you’ve go to watch him,” he said.
The goggles have become Matt’s trademark and, other than the jersey number,the only way to tell him apart from Mark. Watch any Clever game and it’s hard to miss the lanky blonde senior with the tinted ski mask.
They aren’t just for show. In fact, they’re the most important piece of game day gear for Matt.
The senior has been blind in his right eye since the sixth grade. The day before the brothers began the school year, they were playing around in their bedroom. Matt had crawled under a bed while Mark was trying to hit him with a belt. Matt found a butter knife, got it stuck in the buckle, and pulled on it for leverage.
The knife slipped out of his hand and struck him in the eye. He rushed to the bathroom to find blood pouring.
“At first we told our mom I fell because we were afraid to tell her what really happened,” Matt said.
It was only when the family learned how serious the injury was that the boys came clean.
“After I got to the hospital, they told me they may have to remove my eye. That’s when I started crying and my mom got really upset.”
Matt was able to keep his eye, but after an unsuccessful surgery years later, there was no chance he would get his vision back.
“I remember crying myself to sleep that night,” Mark said. “I was pretty scared looking back at it. (Matt) and I got to talk and he told me it wasn’t my fault and that I shouldn’t feel guilty. That was a relief to hear him say that.”
For Matt, giving up sports was out of the question. There was plenty of work to do, but he stayed diligent.
“I had to fix my shot, of course. I also used to be pretty good at baseball, but now my depth perception is pretty bad,” he said.”I can’t hit a ball or catch a ball.”
Having his peripheral vision impaired also takes its toll on the court. He doesn’t always see passes to his right side and said he has been stripped by opponents coming from behind him in the past.
Clever head coach Luke Brosius said he makes for that with his effort, combining for over 11 points and seven rebounds per game with Mark.
“He’s got a nonstop motor. He’s always going. When he comes into the game, you feel like something is going to happen.”
It also didn’t stop Matt from winning a Class 2 state track championship last spring in the 800-meter run. He missed out on taking the 400-meter title as well by less than a second.
Not bad for a guy who said he’s never been quite as big or strong as his brother.
“We make everything a competition,” Matt said. “It’s just who we are.”
Of course, they never have to look too hard for where the other is while on the floor. It’s second nature, and the more they compete, the better it is for Clever.
