WELLINGTON, Fla. — Keith Kloiber loves football. It started simply enough — asking his dad to throw the ball — and quickly became a passion.
"I remember asking my dad to throw the ball, and all of a sudden I fell in love with the sport," Kloiber said.
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Today, Kloiber is one of the quarterbacks at Wellington High School. But before he was a Wolverine, he was a middle schooler playing for the Wellington Communities Football League flag team.
"It's just the memories I make and how fun it is to me personally, and how many connections I make. It's just fun," Kloiber said.
Three years ago, while playing for Wellington Community, a freak accident changed everything.
"I was out here for a tournament, and it was a jump ball. I didn't get the right height, I guess, and the guy's knee came and hit my whole eye, and I couldn't see out of it," Kloiber said.
He broke his orbital bone and nearly lost his eye. His dad, Mark Kloiber, who coaches the team, says the moment still stays with him.
"I said, of all the things that could happen, flag? To hear him in that moment and to see what happened, I can't say anything else, but it was a shock," Mark Kloiber said.
An on-site medic jumped into action and helped save Keith's eye, and hospital staff helped him make a full recovery. The injury required serious precautions, forcing him to step away from football for three years — missing his eighth grade and freshman seasons.
A few months ago, he was cleared to play again. He laced up his cleats and returned to flag football to get back in the groove, leading his Wellington Community flag squad to a 10-0 record and a national flag championship.
"I just wanted to make sure I could do it all this season, and shout out to my team, I couldn't have done it without them," Kloiber said.
