- T-Mobile's Friday Night Light Challenge is underway.
- Orange Grove Bulldogs and George West Longhorns are two of the teams in the challenge.
- On Oct. 10, T-Mobile will annouce the winners of the $25,000 prize and the multi-million dollar prize.
Friday Night Lights has a new meaning for two South Texas football teams.
T-Mobile’s Friday Night Lights Challenge is underway for football teams like the Orange Grove Bulldogs and the George West Longhorns. Both teams are hoping to be the multi-million dollar winner.
The teams are in the second round of the challenge. They have both won $5,000 and now, their eyes are on $2,000,000.
George West Head Football Coach Brent Bennett said he is excited to see what will be done, not just for his team.
“The opportunities are endless because it could provide a facility that could facilitate - not just football. It could facilitate anything from p-e classes to bands to spring sports,” Bennett said.
According to Longhorn senior John Albert Cisneros, this is a great way to promote everyone.
“I don’t think it’s a challenge because everyone’s actually really into it. It’s more of something we want and kind of a need,” Cisneros said.
T-Mobile put out this National Challenge to schools - all they needed to do was promote their school spirits for the chance to improve their facilities.
“One of the beautiful things that we’re doing is that - yeah - we’re in a competition and trying to win the money but we’re getting to showcase our school, our school spirit, our athletes and really everybody that’s involved,” Orange Grove Altheic Director and Head Football Coach Jared Johnson said.
Johnston said he graduated from Orange Grove High School in 1991 and the football field is still the same decades later.
School officials for the districts said they jumped at the chance. This money, used wisely, would ease their neighbor's wallet and upgrade the facilities with new scoreboards, turf, signage, bleachers and more.
Diego Serna, a wide receiver and safety for the Orange Grove Bulldogs, said the challenge is a great opportunity for the district.
“If we participate in it we can win some pretty big money and help out our school around here - athletic wise to everybody. It’ll be really good if we get it. It’ll definitely to some damage and it’ll improve us a lot. All this stuff we’re looking at right now - it’ll be way better and cooler and stuff,” Serna said.
But what is Friday Night Lights?
“Friday Night Lights is a really big thing in our community. We get to come together and watch the football team as a community. And it just brings together all of our family and friends. And it’s a really big thing for us,” George West senior and cheerleader Eliana Rodriguez said.
So what do you need to do?
To vote, go to either school district’s Instagram page. Make a post about what Friday Night Lights means to you and use the @TMOBILE and #FN5GL.
Fans across our communities can show their school spirit through September 20th. On Oct. 10th, T-Mobile will announce the top 16 schools selected to receive $25,000 and who will compete for the multimillion dollar prize.
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