Friday Knight Lights? Manchester high school team named finalist for $2 million haul

MORE ON HOW TO VOTE UP MANCHESTER WEST BELOW.

MANCHESTER, NH – “We are West High” is now a rally cry that will echo across the nation.

That after the Manchester West High School football program was named among 16 finalists for a $2 million prize through the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights program.

Oh, and the school won $25,000 just for being named a finalist.

“Our small town knows how a strong football program can lead the way, change young lives and impact our community,” said Manchester Athletics Director Christine Pariseau-Telge. “This is exactly what West football is doing every day, both in and out of season. West football is inspiring our community to be better and do better. We hope the nation votes for West. We are West High!”

Ironically, West head football coach Andrew Provencher said the opportunity came about after the program’s non-profit booster club, The Blue Knights Fund, lost sponsorship from a local T-Mobile retail store.

“They were unable to sponsor this year, but made me aware of a contest that was just about to kick off,” he said. “I felt like we were a perfect fit and applied right away. We may have been among the first completed applications they received.”

Provencher said the application included series of questions about the program, the school and why the Blue Knights should be considered.

“We have a story that coaches and players alike are pretty proud of, so we just tried to tell our authentic story,” he said.

The initial $25,000 prize will be used for a modest updating of the athletics weight room, which is available to all West athletics and academic programs, as well stadium improvements such as a new speaker system, an ice machine for the field and an AED (automated external defibrillator) for the field.

“We believe that a rising tide lifts all ships, so our plans for the $25,000 will involve improvements that help West High School, all school sports and the educational learning environment,” said Provencher.

Should West win the big prize, he said the school will use the $2 million to build a home and away locker room and complete a state of the art weight room remodel.

“Right now, we have no visitor’s space and our locker room is a storage shed that we painted and added some bench seating to,” he said. “The weight room was last updated in 2000 and improvements would be tremendous.”

In addition, Provencher said part of the prize money will be used to benefit the community surrounding the high school.

“West field is as much as a community space or a West Side community center as you can find,” he said. “We want to add some additional green space to underutilized areas so that more folks in the community can use the field when athletic practices or games are going on. This will help us serve more folks in the community along with the student body.”

Of course, the entire Queen City school and athletics community is rallying behind West.

“We are thrilled that T-Mobile has chosen West High School for this recognition, and we are excited about what it means for Coach Provencher and the team,” said Manchester Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel. “To be selected out of more than 1,000 schools nationwide, it speaks to the quality of the program and the people behind it. We thank T-Mobile for its support of our amazing student athletes, and we look forward to seeing which of the top 16 comes away with the grand prize.”

What can you do to help?

It’s simple.

Pull out your phone, log into Instagram and give a heart click to the football program’s most recent video post; then share it with friends, family and your social network and encourage them to do the same.

The winner of the contest will be whichever video among the 16 finalists receives the most Instagram likes. You can also get to the Instagram post through the T-Mobile contest site here.

“If you don’t have an Instagram, there are $2 million reasons that will benefit Manchester West High School for you to make it on real quick,” said Provencher.

In addition, community members are encouraged to attend the team’s T-Mobile-sponsored senior night game at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1.

In addition to the football contest, Provencher said there will be fun tailgating activities to participate in beforehand.

“These are the kinds of things that cultivate the positive culture and community we want for our schools and students,” said West Principal Richard Dichard. “We hope as many people as possible in our community and beyond support us. This would be a game changer for us.

“We are West High!”

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