NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) -- Acadiana Christian School received a $5,000 grant from T-Mobile as part of the Friday Night 5G Lights program, aimed at supporting high school athletics.

The funding is intended to help transform the school's athletic programs, providing much-needed resources for their sports teams. This initiative is part of T-Mobile's broader mission to support underprivileged programs, particularly in small-town schools.

"To get this for our school; it would really be transforming," said Monique Sanchez, principal of Acadiana Christian School. "It would change really the trajectory of our athletic program."

Mike Long, manager of the Broussard branch of T-Mobile, explained, "One of the things that T-Mobile is committed to is giving back to small-town rural schools."

The Lions football program at Acadiana Christian School plans to use the $5,000 to purchase equipment essential for their training. Junior Brent Henry expressed gratitude for the support, noting the impact of the funding on their program.

"You know, we don't get much publicity at all. You know, we practice on a cane field for right now. You know, the $5,000 was a big help," Henry said.

T-Mobile will soon announce the 25 finalists of the Friday Night 5G Lights program, with the winner receiving a grand prize of one million dollars for field renovations, an upgraded weight room from Gronk Fitness, and an all-expense-paid trip to the SEC Championship Game.

Head Coach Carroll Olivier highlighted the potential impact of winning the grand prize, stating, "Most of the things we have made, we made by hand as a coaching staff. We got stuff out of PVC pipe. We got guys welding sleds for us. So to be able to have a home field, to be able to have a turf facility, an upgraded weight room by Gronkowski. It could change our program."

The Lions football team celebrated a significant victory over Midstate Home School, winning 52-0, as they look forward to the potential benefits of T-Mobile's support in enhancing their athletic facilities.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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