McKinstrey Eclipses 200 Career Wins

As we resume the Top 10 countdown of best moments from 2019-20, at Pella High School, No. 5 on the list is a major career milestone for one of the greatest high school football coaches to ever roam a sideline in the state of Iowa.

On August 30th, 2019, Jay McKinstrey became just the 56th Iowa High School football head coach to win 200 career games in a 14-0 Dutch shutout of Dallas Center-Grimes in a top ten showdown to begin the season last fall. Those two teams will meet to open 2020 in a battle of the two best preseason ranked teams in Class 3A on August 28th.

McKinstrey’s 207 career wins is 42nd best in Iowa All-Time, his career winning percentage of .790 is 14th best ever, and is currently 9th among active coaches in total victories heading into the 2020 season. The powerhouse Pella program has qualified for the playoffs 19 times under McKinstrey’s watch since the 1997 season — the 16th best mark ever among Iowa High School head football coaches, winning three 3A state championships during that time.

Special feature from the week following the win: