As the clock counts down the seconds and the buzzer finally rings, people in the crowd scream, “We Are LP!” Andrew Blomberg, 10, is overwhelmed with excitement at realization that the Lewis-Palmer High School Basketball team has won another game. The team is one step closer to the 2015 Championship game.

“We have made it to the Final Four Game and I could not be more excited that we have made it this far. I never doubted our team because we can do anything we set our minds to. Having the chance to play in the CSU [Colorado State University] Gym is intimidating and thrilling,” Blomberg said.

When the team loses a game, Andrew says that he is frustrated because he knows that the team can do better.  Although he has had some losses, Blomberg says he is a great shooter, ball handler, and brings a significant amount of energy to the court but has a weakness around jumping and defense.

Blomberg has been playing basketball his whole life and has played competitively for four years. He says that the reason why he chose basketball over any other sport was because he felt like it was a freedom sport. No helmets, but your head is in the game.

“Without the helmets, people can know who you are, unlike football. I love going on the court and hearing people scream my name. Lewis-Palmer High School fans are great supporters. It is cool to see how excited fans get when something happens,” Blomberg said.

He also stated that the basketball team is like family. They are all really close. All the coaches bring the different skills that we need to succeed in basketball. Basketball helps Andrew with his communication skills. Without basketball he thinks he would be shy and not as outgoing as he is now. Basketball helped Andrew gain friends and confidence around people.

As Blomberg is running around the court with the pressure of winning, he pulls a “between the legs, hesitation crossover” to get around the opposing teammates. He also  wipes his shoes for traction.

“The boys on the team make fun of me because I wipe my shoes a lot while I’m on the court,” Blomberg said. “Everything is so fast and exciting till the buzzer goes off, then everything goes to slow motion.”