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Miller named Packers Coach of Week
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MONROE - Monroe football coach Curt Miller was named the Green Bay Packers Coach of the Week after helping guide Monroe to a 25-21 upset over Oregon on Friday.

It was Oregon's first loss of the season and comes a season after the Panthers defeated Monroe 48-3.

"It's great after a rewarding win last week," said Miller, who is in his eighth year as Monroe's head coach. "It's a neat honor for the program. This doesn't happen without the kids and the coaching staff. An award like this is truly a team effort. Nothing great happens without great people. We are full of great people in Monroe from the players to the parents, coaching staff and administration."

As a winner of the coach of the week, Miller is awarded a $1,000 donation for Monroe's football program from the Green Bay Packers and the NFL Foundation.

"We will do something special for the program," Miller said. "I don't know if it will be equipment or what it will be. We just found out. It's great PR for a group who continues to work hard and has been in a lot of difficult situations. It's a great reward for the people who keep on working."

The Cheesemakers are looking to qualify for the playoffs for the second time since 2003. Monroe (3-2 overall, 1-2 Badger South) next plays at Monona Grove Friday.

"It's a great spark," Miller said. "It really helps out our standing."

Monona Grove is led by senior running back Toren Young, a University of Iowa recruit, who is third in the state in rushing with 1,036 yards and 12 TDs. With Young averaging 207 rushing yards per game, it's no secret who the Cheesemakers will be keying on Friday.

"The matchup is a very challenging one," Miller said. "We have a ton of respect for Toren Young. We will focus on trying to stop him. Our kids believe we belong in a game like this. It's a great step for the program. It's up to us to take (Young) away."

Miller, a Waterloo native, is a 1999 graduate of Waterloo High School, where he played quarterback for his father, Doug Miller, a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee. After high school, he played football at Carroll College where he was a receiver and punter. In 2003, Miller took his first coaching position as a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Miller took an assistant coaching position in 2004 at Monroe and he became head coach in 2008.

Monroe was also nominated for the WisSports.net team of the week. The voting for that award ends Thursday.