The Green Bay Packers have announced that Derrik Maye of Peshtigo High School in Peshtigo, Wis., has been named the Packers High School Coach of the Week.
Coach Maye, in his first season as head coach at Peshtigo, has the Bulldogs ready for Level 1 of the WIAA Playoffs and is seeking their first playoff win since 2009. After winning just six games combined over the previous three seasons, the Bulldogs finished the regular season 5-4 in a tough Packerland Conference. Maye and his staff look to build on this impressive turnaround while continuing to instill a positive culture throughout the program.
"We wanted to start by bringing the fun back to football," Maye said. "From there on out, we really started to hold our guys to a higher standard. We are lucky enough to have some fierce competitors on our team that truly hate to lose, so it makes it easier, but just holding them to a high standard and being accountable for each and every play is important."
The new culture around the Bulldogs extends to putting their players in the best position to succeed.
"Just narrowing the game down for them and reminding them that you don't have to worry about the fourth quarter in the first quarter, let's just worry about winning this play, then the next play and don't get ahead of ourselves," Maye said. "I think something that I'm proud of is the way our staff doesn't try to force a player into a mold. We try to see what they do best and try to put them in the best position to be successful."
Another way Maye and his staff are helping with the turnaround is getting the Bulldogs out in the community.
"High school football here is very important to the community and when it's thriving it gives the community energy and happiness. This summer we took part in a YMCA Kids Day event in our area and played flag football with the youth and just tried to involve ourselves with the people we play with and play for. It's important to show that support and build that relationship."
Maye grew up in Peshtigo, Wis., and graduated from Peshtigo High School in 2013, playing running back for the Bulldogs under Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Famer Sam Komp. Maye would go on to attend both the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College before graduating in 2016. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach, serving as the junior varsity head coach for two seasons before being named the varsity head coach prior to the 2026 season.
For Maye, the Coach of the Week recognition is a reflection of a complete team effort.
"It's a great honor, especially when the hard work of the program gets recognized", said Maye. "A ton of work goes on behind the scenes, and we have a great staff that puts in a ton of work; it also exemplifies the hard work that our kids have been putting in too. All around, it's great for our entire program to bring attention to the amount of work that's being put in."
Maye and his staff oversee a program of 30 players with all of them having the opportunity to suit up for varsity games. His coaching staff includes Jordan Riebe, Max Neumann, Zack Neumann, Casey Bruso, Joe Sparks and Tyler Marquardt. Outside of coaching football, Maye serves his community in law enforcement as a detective for the Marinette Police Department. He and his wife, Taylor, have one son, Rowan.
About the Green Bay Packers High School Coach of the Week Program:
The Packers will recognize one outstanding high school coach as their 'Coach of the Week' winner during the 2026 high school football season. Winners are awarded several items and privileges, including a $1,000 donation to the school's football program from the Green Bay Packers and the NFL Foundation, as well as recognition of the award on Packers.com, boundwisconsin.com and Wifca.org.
Nominations for Coach of the Week should be submitted by 10 a.m. every Monday to Jake Krueger, Football Outreach Coordinator, at coachoftheweek@packers.com. Please include the nominee's name, address, school, phone number and reason he/she is deserving of the award.
