Austin has a big reason to celebrate homecoming this week. The Austin Packers football team on Friday broke free of a losing streak that had stretched more than two years, and we commend the players, coaches and football supporters who made it happen.

Many are the comments we read on www.austindailyherald.com about Austin High School’s glory days in football, and what improvements the team needs to make to become a viable contender in the Big 9 conference. We were hopeful last year the team would be motivated by an abysmal 0-9 record in 2010 to turn what looked to be a program down on its luck into a team with a winning record, but that simply wasn’t the case.

Now, with the arrival of new head coach Brett Vesel, and with a renewed focus on the field and in the weight room, AHS football players find themselves with a seemingly newfound confidence on the field that residents haven’t seen in a while.

The Packers can’t rest on their laurels yet, as AHS will play Mayo High School this Friday at 7 p.m. at Wescott Field as part of Austin’s Homecoming week. Yet there’s been a little more Packer Pride on display around town since the weekend, and we salute the AHS football team for making it happen.