Central Minnesota Prep Football Team Raises More Than $125k

A Central Minnesota football team, which was in the running for a million-dollar prize, wound up earning more $125,000 through various donations. The Royalton Royals were the only Minnesota prep team competing in the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights contest.

A Community That Rallied Around Their Team

The Royalton football team was one of the final 25 schools competing in the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights contest, which was giving the top school a million-dollar facility upgrade. The Royals didn't finish as the top school in the contest, but they did earn/raise more than $125,000.

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According to a social media post from Royalton Public Schools, the team was able to earn/raise $150,000 over the course of the contest, which will go towards field improvements at the football field/track facility at the school.

The post from Royalton Public Schools reads:

The contest page indicated that if the school won, the money earned would go towards improvements.

"Once known for dead grass and a dirt track, the Royals’ field was improved and kept up through the tireless dedication of alum and coach Nick Lanners. After his tragic passing, winning a stadium upgrade would allow Royalton to honor his legacy with new bleachers, a modern scoreboard, and a lasting tribute, creating an experience worthy of Central Minnesota pride."

Royalton Finished With More Than 330,000 Votes

Royalton ended the contest, which wrapped up on October 30th, in 5th place with more than 330,000 votes, short of the winning vote total that Dierks Arkansas received of 1,988,665 total votes to win the million-dollar prize.

The people at T-Mobile were impressed by the Royals and have encouraged the team to enter the contest again next year.

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