Oftentimes in sports, rowdy student sections can cause problems for the opposing team. One such example of this would be the Berthoud Spartans Boys’ Varsity Basketball game against Resurrection Christian. With 10 seconds left in the third quarter, the Resurrection student section began to count down from three in an effort to throw off the visiting Spartans. Berthoud Freshman Wyatt Barmes was unable to see the clock and listening to the student section, threw the ball up from half-court in an attempt for a buzzer-beater. Against all of the odds, the ball went into the basket for three points. When asked whether he thought the ball had a chance of going in, Barmes simply and confidently replied with, “No.” 

Multiple spectators said that the half-court shot was amazing and it was even better since it backfired in the opposing student section. Berthoud Freshman Will Yuska, who was in the crowd said, “It was pretty funny to see them eat their words.” Although it did not affect the outcome of the game, Barmes said that he got high fives and appreciation from his teammates and some of the spectators. Several of the Berthoud supporters congratulated Barmes after the game including Yuska.

With Barmes’ shot coming as a result of an involved student section, it raises the question of how much the student section can affect the game. Although it did not work in their favor, the Resurrection student section showed just how much noise and the crowd can affect the game. The student section proved that you can pretty easily get players to panic based on what they are saying or yelling. When Barmes was asked if the opposing student section influenced him in any way he replied, “Yes, in a bad way because there were actually ten seconds left.”  Although Barmes made the shot, it does not always happen where the players are able to make shots of that difficulty and they will often miss. Especially in close games that can be an extreme disadvantage to the away teams which brings meaning to the “home team advantage.”