Newton Cardinals among 25 finalists in nationwide T-Mobile sweepstakes

Newton High School is in the running to win $1 million for stadium improvements.

Of the more than 2,100 high schools participating in the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights program, Newton has been named among the Top 25 finalists in the contest and is the only Iowa school to receive the honor this year. In order to win the grand prize, community members need to submit their votes online.

According to T-Mobile’s website, the winner of the competition gets the cash reward for home field upgrades, a professional consultation with a stadium experience expert, an upgrade weight room, a tailgate party in 2026 and an all-expense-paid trip for selected school reps to the 2025 SEC Championship game.

Andy Swedenhjelm, head coach of the Cardinals football team, said he submitted an application to the sweepstakes and wrote about how the grand prize could help the school, the community and H.A. Lynn Stadium. For being a finalist, the school is guaranteed a $25,000 grant. Likely, it will go to weight room upgrades.

Between a community member lobbying the district to add handrails to visitors side bleachers — prompting a full replacement — and general accessibility improvements and calls for a new press box, upgrades to the Cardinal’s home field have been a frequent topic of discussion this past year.

Swedenhjelm himself has called for infrastructure upgrades to the more than 80-year-old stadium, as well as an improvements plan.

“We’ve had lots of pubic comment on upgrades we can make to our stadium and stuff like that,” Swedenhjelm said. “That’s been a big, hot button topic in our community. There’s the ADA accessibility, and there’s a lot of people who wish we had lockers still underneath the stadium.”

In a statement, Swedenhjelm said the Newton Cardinals are extremely grateful and excited to be part of the sweepstakes.

“We are excited to help provide some much-needed upgrades to our facilities and continue to give the students of Newton a first-class experience,” he said.“We are extremely thankful to those that have helped us reach this far and are looking forward to competing for the grand prize.”

Newton High School will be recognized as a finalist during a special Friday night celebration hosted by T-Mobile on Oct. 17 at the stadium. The event will feature games, giveaways and free concessions for attendees. In total, 60 Iowa schools entered the contest this year. Swedenhjelm hopes the state can support Newton.

“We’re the only school in Iowa,” Swedenhjelm said of the contest. “Hopefully we can rally not only our community but the whole state as well.”

Voting is open until Oct. 24 on the Friday Night 5G Lights website at www.t-mobile.com/brand/friday-night-5g-lights. Email addresses are needed to submit a daily vote. The current rankings are displayed in real time, showing schools just how many votes they need to clinch the No. 1 spot.