EXETER, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — A South Valley high school has made it to the final round of a nationwide competition.
The band lit up the campus at Exeter Union High School Thursday morning.
Magenta t-shirts were tossed from the stage out into a sea of students.
The special celebration was held as Principal Rogelio Robles made an exciting announcement.
Out of a total of 2,100 applicants nationwide, EUHS was one of 25 chosen to move on to the final round of the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights competition.
That distinction comes with a $25,000 grant, and T-Mobile is sponsoring the home football game on October 3.
Head football Coach Ruben Ruiz said the grant is going to be beneficial for everyone.
“It’s just a huge surprise, and it’s something for the community and the sports program to get behind. It brings us together, brings us a sense of camaraderie amongst all the other athletes and all the other sports, and there’s also the students themselves,” Ruiz said.
Now that the Monarchs are in the top 25, they’re up for the grand prize of a $1 million field upgrade, along with a renovated weight room from Gronk Fitness, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the SEC Championship Game.
“It’s not about the size of the town, it’s about the fight of the town,” T-Mobile Rural market manager Michael Perreira said.
Perreira said the school and the community helped EUHS stand out in the competition.
“There’s a need, but also their story of tradition, pride and coming together as a community was inspirational for us, and we just wanted to lean into that,” Perreira said.
The school has big plans should they win the grand prize, including upgraded visitor seating, a new ticket booth, additional restrooms and a new concession stand.
While the field looks great, administrators say there are drainage issues they’d also like to fix.
The winner will be based on the number of votes received and “Spirit Week Assignments” on social media.
Coach Ruiz said he’s confident the Monarchs will take home the grand prize and said the upgrade would make a major difference for students and the community.
“This is not something that’s only going to be for this class or this present. It’s going to be for the future, you know? It gives something for these kids that, you know, come out here and watch the games, either soccer, football, track, whatever it may be. It gives them something to just look forward to playing on,” Ruiz said.
Starting Thursday, people can vote once per day, per email, through October 24 to help EUHS reach the top prize.
Click here to vote now.
The winner will be announced on October 30.
