GOLDSBORO, N.C. — Friday night football is paying off for several local high schools, with Rosewood High School becoming the latest area school to score a $5,000 prize through T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights competition.
Rosewood High School in Goldsboro was named one of four North Carolina Week 5 winners, joining Hendersonville High School, South Lenoir High School and Willow Spring High School.
The win adds Rosewood to a growing list of Wayne County-area schools already receiving $5,000 awards through this year’s competition. Southern Wayne High School in Dudley and Spring Creek High School in Seven Springs have also been named winners. Nearby Princeton High School has received an award as well.
That means three Wayne County high schools — Rosewood, Southern Wayne and Spring Creek — have collectively earned $15,000 through the program so far this season.
T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights competition gives eligible high schools in smaller communities across the country opportunities to win funding for football fields and other facility improvements. In addition to weekly $5,000 prizes, schools can compete for regional finalist awards and ultimately a $1 million grand-prize stadium transformation.
The competition focuses on more than what happens on the football field. Schools are encouraged to showcase their community pride and explain how improvements would benefit athletes, marching bands, cheerleaders, students, families and others who use their facilities.
Across North Carolina, 65 schools have already received $5,000 awards this season, representing a combined $325,000 in funding.
Local schools still have an opportunity to compete for additional honors. Eligible high schools in communities with populations of 150,000 or fewer can participate in the competition.
Applications close Sept. 18, 2026.
Public voting is scheduled for Oct. 8-25, with supporters allowed to cast one vote per day. Voting for the final four will take place Oct. 29-Nov. 8, and the $1 million grand-prize winner is scheduled to be announced Nov. 12.
For Wayne County, the competition has already produced multiple winners — and Rosewood’s latest award adds another $5,000 investment in a local school and its Friday night traditions.
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