South St. Paul defense leader Reid Bjorklund went to the gym nearly every day over the summer. As he worked out, one distinct and weighty memory filled his mind, much different than the iron he lifted.

The previous football season had gone exactly as planned until the very end, when the undefeated Packers had the state tournament door slammed in their faces in a 35-7 section final loss to St. Thomas Academy.

The defeat was stunning for a team with lofty expectations, having held opponents in its three previous games to single digits.

But Bjorklund and his teammates have taken that pain and funneled it into a dominant 3-0 start in 2011. Going into Saturday's 1 p.m. game at undefeated Hill-Murray, the Packers have not allowed a point.

"It kind of gives you a little chip on your shoulder," Bjorklund said of last year's loss. "We know we're not invincible. On the right night, we can be beat. But we're working hard to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Because of a scheduling quirk, South St. Paul won't face STA in the regular season for the second consecutive year. Without that bar to judge the Packers' progress, they hope the lingering memories will help push a very talented team to another level -- and perhaps a rematch.

The Packers have all but a couple of offensive players back from last year's junior-heavy bunch, including senior star running back Sam Sura, who has 340 yards and five touchdowns on 40 carries. Defensively, Bjorklund has led a group of players who mostly have specialized on that side of the ball since junior varsity. Bjorklund leads the team with 15 tackles.

Initially, coach Chad Sexauer was concerned about depth, but through the early season he has watched the unproven step up and perform big, he said.

"Most kids have gotten an opportunity to play," Sexauer said. "I knew what to expect from our seniors, but the [underclassmen] have really risen to the challenge. They're coming to practice every day and they're starting to really mold themselves."

Said Sura of the stingy defense, which has enabled the offense to play with less pressure: "They really grew themselves this year ... I think we always expect ourselves to win, but I'm not sure if we really expected that, to win by that large of a sum."

Sexauer said he believes part of the early dominance comes from the cohesiveness of a tightly knit team. The players spend most of their days together, Bjorkland and Sura said, and then hang out on the weekends. They go to movies, grab food and have to be chased out of the training room most nights, when Sexauer has to pry the video-game controllers out of their hands.

When they hit the field, the fun doesn't stop.

"I've continued to be shocked and awed about how much fun they make every practice," Sexauer said. "They just really enjoy being around each other."

In games, "They don't want to let the other 10 down," he said. "I don't think a lot of them are going to know what to do with themselves after their next season starts. Because they identify as a group."

A group with a distinct goal still pressed on each mind.

"We need to not be satisfied with where we were last year," said Bjorklund, who doesn't need to remind any of his teammates of the sting they felt. "We need to be better."

Amelia Rayno • 612-673-4115