3 observations: Lights go out, but white hot South Oldham football lights up Atherton

The lights at Irvin Stadium blew out Friday, but it didn't stop South Oldham from lighting up Atherton.

As the Dragons were driving midway through the second quarter, the lights at South Oldham's field went dark for 15 minutes. Field operators anxiously waited for the lights to turn back on while fans partied in the pitch darkness. The Dragons couldn't wait continue their onslaught.

"Our kids were fired up," South Oldham coach Jamie Reed said. "In the preseason, a lot of people picked Atherton to win our district. ... We've got a chip on our shoulder. Nobody respects the Dragons. When we lost to CAL they wrote us off for the year."

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Here are three observations from a convincing 38-17 Dragons win:

South Oldham powers through blackout

Not even a power outage could dimmed the Dragons. South Oldham scored three plays after light was restored on their way to a blowout win. But in a way, the blackout — and the Dragons' response to it — was a microcosm of their 2022 season.

After starting the year with three blowout losses at the hands of CAL, Fairdale and Ballard, South Oldham has turned its season around. The Dragons (4-3) have won four straight games and outscored opponents 163-26 through the stretch.

Patience at QB paying off

Reed believes the Dragons began to turn things around once junior Nick Hamilton was named the starting quarterback over senior Wyatt Fowler. The decision has allowed Fowler, who is also the Dragons' top linebacker, to focus on his duties on defense.

"It's made my game better to be able to focus on one spot," Fowler said. "But we've got a great quarterback in there right now. He's making plays and the right decisions."

Hamilton struggled to open the season and failed to throw a touchdown pass in his first three games. Reed flirted with going with Fowler's experience over Hamilton's potential but didn't take the keys to the offense from the junior. Reed said the patience in Hamilton has paid off for the Dragons.

"We kind of slowed down Nick's development letting Wyatt go," Reed said. "We realized if Wyatt went both ways we wouldn't have a chance, so it was like, 'OK, let's put Nick at quarterback.' At that point, he's two, three weeks behind and nobody saw that."

Hamilton threw two touchdowns and zero interceptions Friday and drove the Dragons down the field with ease.

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South Oldham gets crucial second district win

Atherton's defense shut down Seneca last week and ruined the Redhawks' perfect record. On Friday, the Ravens tried to ruin South Oldham's homecoming.

"This happens every year," Fowler said. "I would be like them, too. We're the Dragons and they're trying to take our spot every year."

The Dragons' win over Atherton (4-3) improved South Oldham to 2-0 in district play. After losing their first three games, the Dragons felt critics had turned the lights out on their season, but could these final few weeks of the regular season be South Oldham's time to shine?

"We have to make sure that we don't get the big head," Reed said. "Now people in the district will give us a little more respect then they did at first ... but we'll be fired up to continue through district play because the sky's the limit."

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South Oldham 6 24 6 0 38

Atherton 0 0 3 14 17

Records: Atherton (4-3), South Oldham (4-3)

Follow Courier Journal reporter J.L. Kirven on Twitter @JL_Kirven for more updates on Louisville prep sports.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA football: South Oldham pops Atherton for fourth straight win