A power outage during a high school football game in Mentor, Ohio, reportedly cost the school thousands of dollars after the game had to be cancelled.
According to The News-Herald, matchup between Mentor and visiting Lorain had to be cancelled after a power outage left Jerome T. Osborne Stadium in the dark just before kickoff.
Mentor athletic director Ryan McKnight said the power was restored around 8:30 but by that time Loraine was already on their bus and headed home.
Efforts to reschedule the game for Saturday or Sunday weren't successful, and the game will not played.
McKnight said that cancellation left Mentor in the red after paying game officials, police, fire and game workers.
"Our average home gate is around $18,000," McKnight said. "Instead, we paid out $3,200. So that's about a $21,000 swing. Instead of making money, we ended up paying quite a bit. The right thing is to pay the people for their time and work they do when they come."
The News-Herald reported that Mentor hired eight police officers at $50 per hour, most of whom arrive at 4:30 p.m. for pregame parking. The fire department bill is $500. Each official gets $100, which by contract is locked in as soon as they arrive for the game.
All tickets sold via credit or debit card had to be refunded and Mentor absorbed the service fees.
