After years of battling in and out of courtrooms, Bishop Blanchet High School raised its four sets of lights on Mickey Naish field.

August 20, 2015 was a long time coming, as neighbor groups protested the action for close to  five years.

The four standards, each bearing an array of eight LED lights, will illuminate the field for evening football and soccer games this season.  Two football games are scheduled for Friday nights this season (September 18 against Stanwood and October 2 against O’Dea). The girl’s soccer schedule is not posted.

In a Miter article from September of 2013,  the plan approved by the city back in 2011, was blocked when a neighbor started a group set against the installation of the lights. The group continued on to appeal to a Seattle Hearing Examiner and the case was sent to the Superior Court.

“A Catholic high school is equal in spirit to a public school,” wrote reporter Alexis Capestany, “but Bishop Blanchet has not had the opportunity to show all of the school’s spirit due to the inability to hold home games at night. There are many factors that play into this lawsuit, with Bishop Blanchet claiming that they are not getting the ‘same privileges’ as a public school. This lawsuit involves the Seattle Archdiocese against the City of Seattle.”

At that time, even some students were wary of lights.

“It is too easy to disturb people who already deal with a lot from us,” then-junior EJ Valasquez said. “Throwing religion into this is unbiased and wrong.”

Some students understood that they must be respectful of neighbors, but the lack of lights didn’t give an opportunity to play as much, especially when some practices have to end early because it gets too dark.

“I think if we got lights, fans would show up at a 7:00 pm game under lights rather than a 4:00pm game in mid daylight,” current senior Varsity Soccer player Lee Erickson said. “It’s important to have fans at every sporting event, not just football. This is a great way to bring the Brave community together.”

The debates are over and the lights have arrived.  The challenge will be for Blanchet students and families to be sensitive to the neighborhood when parking for night games.