Green Bay Reporter

Dewey Reilly, head coach of Tomahawk High School in Wisconsin, has been named the Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week. This recognition comes as Tomahawk's football team, under Reilly's leadership, has started the season with a 5-0 record, marking its best opening since 1969. The team currently leads the Great Northern conference and is ranked fifth among Division 5 programs in Wisconsin.

Reilly emphasized the importance of building a strong team identity and culture. "I think for us, it was identifying who we were and who we wanted to be as a team and as a community and reinforcing that day in and day out," Reilly said. "People talk about player-led teams and as a coach, you want to teach your kids how to lead so when they get the opportunity [to lead], they can do it by themselves, and it becomes this magnificent family tree of individuals that take the lessons they've learned and spread it on. I'm also a big believer in iron sharpens iron…we try to make each other better on a daily basis. It's these things that are changing the culture around here and allowing us to expect more of each other and ourselves. We might not win every game, but when we're done, you're going to know you played against Tomahawk football."

He also spoke about encouraging his players to be positive examples beyond athletics: "For us as a program, we try conduct ourselves, carry ourselves and lead by example, not just on the football field but in our community and in our school," he said. "We want to continue to help instill pride. Our community is a small town and we kind of thrive around our school district and athletics. That's huge for us for what we try to showcase in our student-athletes"

Reilly is an alumnus of Tomahawk High School where he played quarterback and safety before playing linebacker at Minnesota State University, Mankato. After graduating from college in 2001, he began coaching at Mankato before pursuing dental school. He later returned to coaching at youth levels before becoming Tomahawk’s head coach in 2023. In addition to football, he coaches Tomahawk’s state champion hockey team.

Reflecting on receiving the award, Reilly stated: "If you're chasing individual accolades, you're going to be chasing for a long time," Reilly said. "I know it's cliché, but they say you'll go faster by yourself, but you'll go further as a team, and I truly believe that. It makes me proud to be a part of this team, community and program and that we are doing things the right way and moving in the right direction."

The Packers’ Coach of the Week program recognizes one high school coach during each week of the football season with several rewards including a $1,000 donation from both the Green Bay Packers organization and NFL Foundation for their school's football program.

Nominations for future honorees can be submitted weekly via email with details about why nominees deserve recognition.