The Austin football team will face a tough task in its season opener as it will play at Rochester John Marshall 1 p.m. Saturday.

Austin lost 51-27 to the Rockets last year and JM handed eventual Class AAAAA state champ Mankato West its only loss of the season with a 21-19 win in the last game of the regular season. The Rockets finished last season 5-5 overall and the Packers were 3-6 overall.

“They’re a good team,” Austin head coach Brett Vesel said of JM. “They’ve got some speed, they’ve got some good size and they’ve got good players. They’ll be one of the top teams in the conference.”

Despite having just two weeks to prepare for their opener, Vesel said that his squad is ready to play. The Packers have their entire roster ready to go for the game.

“We’re fairly healthy,” Vesel said. “We’ve got a couple of dings right now, but everybody’s expected to play. I don’t think anyone’s sitting out for any reason.”

Saturday’s game will likely mark the first start for Austin junior quarterback Jakob Crouch, who looked capable in a pair of appearances at the end of last season as he led the Packers to a couple of TD drives. Vesel said Nate Conner might also see a little time at quarterback, but Crouch will be the No. 1.

“He’s doing good,” Vesel said of Crouch. “He’s getting a little excited with the first game, but overall I think his excitement is a positive. I’m not worried about him.”

With all of the adrenaline that comes with the first kick-off of the season, the Packers will also need to settle down and do their job when Saturday’s game comes.

“We’ve got to execute. We can’t forget that that’s what’s going to win the game,” Vesel said.