Central Springs Gets $5,000 for Athletic Upgrades, Could Win $1 Million

Central Springs High School has received $5,000 and is also in the running for a football field transformation valued at $1 million.

 The school was randomly selected as a $5K Fridays sweepstakes winner through T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights, a national competition celebrating small-town football and community pride. Central Springs joins 14 other Iowa high schools, including Aplington-Parkersburg, selected so far, bringing the statewide total to $70,000, with all participating schools still eligible for the grand prize. So far, 78 Iowa high schools have applied. 

Central Springs’ Roger Blickenderfer submitted the school’s application to address several urgent safety, accessibility, and technology needs across its football facilities, including an unsafe press box, limited visitor seating, lack of internet access for live streaming, no play clocks, and aging storage and practice field areas. If selected, funding would support critical upgrades to improve game operations, expand online access for fans, create safer spaces for athletes and staff, and provide students with facilities more comparable to schools they compete against. 

Eligible schools in communities under 150,000 can still apply at FridayNight5GLights.com through September 18th. Weekly $5K Fridays winners will continue through September, with the Top 40 finalist announcement on October 8th and public voting through October 25.