Sipsey Valley High School’s marching band was making its way back to its designated bleacher section and Dallas County High School’s band was clearing the field with a minute left in the halftime period on Friday night in Plantersville, when the voice from the press box announced that the region game between the Sipsey Valley Bears (4-1) and the Dallas County Hornets (0-4) was over.

Only a half of football was played, and the Bears won 28-8.

The transformer on the light pole behind the end zone and above the Dallas County concession stand grill was smoking profusely, so Dallas County principal Stephanie Smith, Bears coach Scott Marchant and Hornets coach Zeke Pigg decided to end the game as a safety precaution.

“I have no clue what the issue is,” Pigg said. “I just want it fixed. It’s smoking and its pouring oil. It’s a safety issue and it shouldn’t be taking place at all. They came out to fix it today, and now it’s been three months this has been going on.”

The light pole transformer has been visited three times, according to Pigg, but it’s unclear what the issue was or what repairs were made.

“Nothing has been done about it at all,” he said. “All we can do is put the reports in and hope it gets done.”

The technical difficulty came at the worst time for the Hornets, who went into the locker room at halftime encouraged by their last touchdown drive to get on the score board.

Hornets quarterback Sevaughn Brown completed a 37-yard pass over two defenders to Calvin Griffin for a touchdown with 1:10 left in the second quarter. Brown ran in the two-point conversion to cut the Bears lead to 28-8.

Brown, a two-way player for the Hornets, was a receiver in fall practice, but has had to step in at quarterback for the last two games.

Octavious Palmer is still recovering from a dislocated hip he suffered against Selma High in the preseason Jamboree, and backup quarterback Patrick Callens has been sidelined due to illness for the past two games.

Brown may not be the traditional quarterback, but he’s a playmaker.

“It’s really not that difficult to pick up the quarterback position,” he said. “I come into practice every day with the right mindset and learning new plays. I just have to be on the grind every day.”

Last week, on the road against Sumter Central, his three rushing touchdowns were the first points the Hornets scored in the 2018 season.

He finished the game with 48 rushing yards, completed 2-of-11 passes for 48 yards and his first passing touchdown.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that I can put points on the board for my team,” Brown said. “I try to do the best with my ability. I give my team all the props, especially my o-line. They do their best to protect me, but our defense stepped up and our offense had to make a play. But they got the best of us.”

The end of the game didn’t sit well with Brown nor the rest of his teammates. The momentum they gained before the half was squashed before they had a chance to utilize it.

“It’s kind of upsetting because it’s another game where we feel like we can comeback, but our games keep getting cancelled,” Brown said.

However, the Bears had already done enough damage on the score board.

Sipsey Valley quarterback Jordan Moore completed 5-of-7 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

The first Bears touchdown came on a quick wide receiver screen to Drew Long, who took off down the Sipsey Valley sideline for 74-yards before he was tripped into the end zone.

Brown connected with Anthony Abernathy for a 32-yard score on the teams’ next offensive series to give the Bears a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Sipsey Valley had the ball to start the second quarter after a fumble by Dallas County was recovered by Joshau Alston. The Bears capitalized and running back Cade Dailey scored on a 1-yard touchdown. He had 49 rushing yards in the game.

The Bears special teams unit also found its way into the end zone when Harrison Pate blocked Brown’s punt and returned it for 30-yards for a touchdown giving his team the 28-0 cushion.

The Hornets final drive of the night prevented them from being shutout, but the pesky transformer spoiled any opportunity for a comeback.

“We finally get something going, and of course, it ends. I hate it for the kids,” Pigg said. “This ain’t me. This ain’t what I’m about. This ain’t what this program is about, and I really do feel sorry for these kids. They don’t deserve this one-single bit.”

The electrical issue has been a recurring nuisance for the Hornets football program for the past three months, according to Pigg.

The same malfunctioning transformer had issues during the Jamboree game against Selma High on Aug. 24, forced the Hornets to move its first home game against Montevallo to Southside High School on Sept. 7 and then ended the Sipsey Valley game early on Friday.

The Hornets are four games into a 10-game season and have only played half of a home game. Pigg was frustrated not only because his team was unable to finish the game, but because the problem has persisted and is affecting his players.

“It sets the kids up for failure,” he said. “The seniors only get five home games, and they haven’t even played a full home game yet.”

Dallas County’s next game is on the road against Holtville on Friday, Sept. 28.