A blown transformer engulfed the Loachapoka field in darkness Friday night, postponing Georgiana’s season opener with the hosting Indians until Saturday evening, according to Georgiana head football coach Ezell Powell.

“A transformer blew and caught fire, and they couldn’t get the lights on,” Powell said.

“Alabama Power came out and looked at it, and they said that it wouldn’t be any time soon before they could get them on.  So we just decided to postpone the game until [Saturday] at 5:30 p.m., so we’ll have to drive back up and try to get it in; even if Alabama Power doesn’t get the lights on, we’ll play during the late daylight.”

The outage occurred with roughly 3:08 remaining in the first quarter with Loachapoka leading the Panthers 8-0, and the game will resume from that point Saturday evening.

Though the freak occurrence is a blow to momentum, especially during Week One, Powell is treating the situation as just another test for his players.

“It is, but it’s what we’ve been talking about since the start of the summer—overcoming adversity,” Powell said. “Things happen that are sometimes out of your control, and they put you in a different comfort zone.

“How do you handle being in that type of position?  Do you handle it the same way, or do you let it affect you mentally?  That’s what we’ll find out [today].”