GROVE CITY — It was not the kind of start Sam Mowrey envisioned in his first year as the Grove City High football coach.

Eight games.

Eight losses.

Three by less than a touchdown. Three when leading in the fourth quarter.

But it was the kind of finish Mowrey hoped for after that disheartening start.

Two games.

Two wins.

Both in dominating fashion.

“I think the kids got a lot of confidence out of those last two games,” Mowrey said. “You could truly see things begin to click for the boys. It might be just two games and in the grand scheme of things maybe it doesn't mean a lot, but that was definitely a big motivator going into the offseason.”

That offseason has been spent honing an offense that was brand new last season and saw a quarterback change after Week 1 that seemed to work out OK for the Eagles.

Kameron Patterson threw for 1,777 yards and 22 touchdowns in nine games and looks to improve on those numbers this year with a wealth of young playmakers around him.

“When we knew we weren't going to make the playoffs last season, we started to play a lot of young guys,” Patterson said. “They got a lot of experience and I think we'll do even better this year. I've been throwing with them and I think we can do some big things.”

Senior D'andre Byers and junior Cordell Sanders figure to be huge weapons for Grove City, both running and receiving.

Sanders, who is also a gymnast, could be one of the most athletic and dangerous players in the region this year.

“He's amazing,” Mowrey said. “You can throw him a football and he'll catch it and do a back flip and land on his feet.”

It will all start with Patterson and Mowrey has raved about his development this offseason.

“Oh man, he's a dream to coach,” Mowrey said. “You tell him something and it's 'Yes, sir.' And he'll do it. If he does something wrong, he'll work on it until it is fixed. He holds himself up to a high standard and he's so unselfish. If he doesn't put up big numbers, but if the team is doing well and winning, he has a big smile on his face.”

Despite his solid season, Mowrey said Patterson is not being talked about in the same breath as some of the other top quarterbacks in District 10.

And that's just fine with them.

“He's not a kid a lot of people are talking about,” Mowrey said. “He's under the radar as we are as a team.”

Another under-the-radar player is tight end A.J. Turner, who was little more than an afterthought on the junior varsity team last season, but has had such a good camp that he will be the starting tight end this season.

And the 6-foot, 180-pound junior could be a major force, too.

“There are pieces around Kam,” Mowrey said.

Another piece is junior wide receiver Nick Davies, who put 15 pounds on his 5-9 frame in the offseason and also has explosive speed.

“That's another kid who has made a big jump between his sophomore and junior seasons,” Mowrey said. “It's nice because, to me, we're in a good spot. We have a lot of dangerous kids spread out in difference positions. We won't have just one guy getting all the carries. We have a lot of kids no one knows about yet. No one knows about us.”