Chris Brown did it. The West Grand coach watched his Mustangs win 22-7 at home in Kremmling over Nederland on Saturday to give him his 300th career victory.
The victory in the Class A 8-man Central League puts Brown, in his 40th season, in elite company in state annals — only Pat Panek, who won 306 games, and Ken Soper, who won 305, are ahead of him on Colorado’s all-time list.
The Mustangs, 4-5 in 2014, trailed Nederland 7-6 after a quarter. However, they used a 16-point third quarter to seal it.
Panek was at Denver East and Machebeuf from 1939-77. Soper was at Dolores County from 1965-2011. Brown, who was at Limon and Walsenburg earlier, has been a head coach since 1965.
Scott Yates of Kent Denver also is closing in on 300. The Sun Devils boss is at 295 after Friday’s 47-0 whipping of host Englewood.
Brown and West Grand can pass Soper and Panek in the regular season. Yates’ Sun Devils will have to go 13-0 for him to pass Soper and tie Panek.
Fifth on the all-time list is Fred Tesone of Cherry Creek, who retired in 1989 with 272 victories.
