With the feel of autumn in the air and the excitement of the opening games of a new season, anticipation and excitement are in full swing for this year’s edition of Ravens Football. However, it seems another season will begin with a common theme. It appears Priory’s version of “Friday Night Lights” and transforming Todd Stadium into an intimidating place for our opponents to visit for a night game might have to wait for another day. Instead, the calm tranquility of a Saturday afternoon game will once again be the rule for the 2024 version of the football Ravens. With our Metro Conference brothers John Burroughs announcing last summer that they will host two home football games at night with temporary lights this year, it seemed like an appropriate time to revisit the situation as it relates to Priory.
In communicating with Athletic Director Mr. Brotherton, he assisted with my research and concluded that Priory has never hosted a night football game on campus. He noted that even the State Championship team of 1973 played all of their home games on Saturday afternoons. So what are the primary sticking points that are preventing Priory from following other schools of either similar size or similar areas of town? Is it the cost of purchasing and maintaining the lights? Is it a condition of the community in which the school resides that is preventing a night home football game from happening?
After consulting with Mr. Brotherton, it might be a little of all of the above, but mostly with the surrounding neighborhoods. It was encouraging to discover that this issue has been on Priory’s radar for some time. Especially with John Burroughs’ ability to make this happen, the hope of the school is that this might be an opportunity to seize some momentum and revisit the situation. It appears the major hurdle rests with the Creve Coeur city ordinances as well as the proximity of the school to the surrounding neighborhoods. Mr. Brotherton added that there have been a number of new ideas recently that might be considered as a “middle-ground” approach and could eventually lead to some form of temporary lighting. It is his hope that if the first step can be accomplished and agreed upon, it might lead to the installation of permanent lights down the road.
It is encouraging that our school administration is working behind the scenes to possibly bring this experience to Priory at some point in the not too distant future. The potential excitement for the current players and coaches, the student body, and the legions of alumni would be something to see. Until then, we will have to wait another day for our beloved Birds to take flight at night. Best of luck to the 2024 Football Ravens!
