The Austin football team is coming into the postseason on a high and it’s mostly due to the work the team is doing up front and in the trenches.

The Packers (3-5 overall), who open the Section 1AAAAA Tournament at Rochester John Marshall at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, have controlled the line of scrimmage in a three-game winning streak. In those games, Austin has allowed just 13.6 points per game and forced a total of 13 turnovers. Austin’s defensive front of Logan Braaten, Eli Marks, Corey Waller and Luke Hawkshead have all stepped up at the point of attack.

“Eli, Logan, Luke and Corey are all huge for us right now,” Austin head coach Brett Vesel said. “They’re doing a phenomenal job and that’s a big reason why we’re playing pretty good defense for us right now. It’s tough to run against us when we do the job right.”

The recent effort is a far cry from the season opening 45-20  loss that JM (2-6 overall) handed Austin Sept. 2. Austin forced five turnovers, but allowed three plays of over 50 yards in that loss.

“I think in the first game against JM we did not play near what we have lately. If we play like we have been, I think we’ll be just fine,” Hawkshead said. “It’s been a great time, especially when we got Logan back. It’s been fun getting in that rhythm and we’re kind of clicking now.”

Marks is only a sophomore, but he’s played big in the middle for the Packers. He put in a lot of time in the weight room over the summer and that hast paid off for Marks.

“One of my favorite parts about football is just getting really big. It’s helped me a lot,” Marks said. “I haven’t had too many problems besides the West game, where I kind of got tossed around a little bit.”

The Packers picked up a little more steam in the win over Red Wing when Braaten came back from an injury. Braaten had missed much of last season and he sat out the first six games of this season.

He’s performed on the field as play-maker and he’s been very goal as a leader.

“The energy is so big and the passion is so high on every down. I think we’re playing with so much more confidence right now,” Braaten said. “We trust our secondary and our linebackers a ton, but we believe in ourselves and if we can stop it right there, it makes it easier for everybody else.”

The Packers’ front four is hoping it can limit the Rockets’ big play capability on Tuesday, but they’re also focused on improving themselves. Waller said the team has picked up its play as the work ethic has improved.

“I’ve noticed that everyone’s been working harder and harder in practice and we’ve got to continue to do that,” Waller said. “Our goal is just to keep pushing everyone to the limit. It’s been working.”