Mosquito threat cancels Braintree High evening games

By Jeannie M. Nuss, Globe Correspondent

There will be no Friday night lights for Braintree high school students this fall. At least not until the first heavy frost curbs the threat of mosquitoes infected with the West Nile and Triple E viruses, headmaster David Swanton said yesterday.

Braintree school officials have not scheduled any evening outdoor events at the high school field until mid-October in response to the threat of West Nile and Triple E, Swanton said.

“It’s obviously a proactive move,” he said. “Last year, we had pretty much quarantined all athletic events that were scheduled at night.”

This spring, Swanton decided not to schedule any evening games at the high school until Oct. 17, hoping to strike "a happy medium" from last year, he said.

The high school campus contains a lake and wetlands, he said.

Prior to the first evening game in October, the Norfolk County Mosquito Control Project will spray the entire campus in the early morning hours, according to Swanton.

Each of the more than 1,500 students will receive a packet with safety information before the spraying, which are scheduled from Oct. 16 until mid-November or the first heavy frost, Swanton said.

“This is all in the name of safety,” he said.

“Sometimes you error on the side of making good judgments,” said Swanton, a parent of a high school athlete. “If we put a little more responsibility on society, we can probably strike up a happy activity medium.”

Although Swanton considered the possibility of Saturday and afternoon games, he said “the thrill of it is the Friday night lights.”

Braintree High School is alone in its decision to call off evening games, Swanton said.

“Braintree was sort of the lonely school,” he said. “But safety is first and foremost. That’s why we make these decisions.”