The saying is as old as sports. “Records are made to be broken.”

Records are also meant to be appreciated and remembered. That goes double for records that stand for more than a generation.

That is the case with Jake Larson’s Montana high school all-class record in the 300-meter hurdles. For 24 years, Jake’s father, Andy, religiously followed the best 300 hurdles runners in the state to see if Jake’s record would last another year.

Every year, Andy watched as the best runners in the state fell short of his son’s mark.

This year, though, Gallatin High School star senior Nash Coley put an end to that, taking over as the fastest Montana boy to run the 300 hurdles.

He could not, however, wipe away the memory of Jake’s great run.

Coley, who will run for Montana State University, won the Class AA State title in the 300 hurdles with a time of 36.91 seconds May 25 in Great Falls. Ethan Anderson of Kalispell Glacier was next at 38:05, followed by Missoula Big Sky’s Oliver Simianer at 38.91.

If Coley’s family members follow his new record as close as Andy Larson, there is a good chance they will be doing it for 24 years or longer. Coley’s time is absolutely blistering.

Larson’s record actually lasted one day shy of 24 years. That is 8,765 days that Jake held the Montana record with is time of 37.66.

He set the record on May 26, 2000 at Van Winkle Stadium in Bozeman. Greg Carothers of Helena Capital placed second at 38.41, while Ty Felton of Missoula Hellgate took third in 39.45.

What made Jake’s run seem highly improbable was that he won it out of lane No. 9 because he stumbled in the Western AA Divisional meet the week before in Kalispell.

That was in the day before qualifying standards, and Jake’s slip nearly meant he never got to run the race in the first place.

As the record turned 20 years old in the middle of COVID in 2020, I talked with Jake and Andy for a story on ButteSports.com.

“It was my start that got me it,” Jake said of his winning run. “They might have thought I jumped. Those two beat me all year.”

Jake’s 37.66 broke the record shared by Lucas Fowler of Harlowton and Kurt Sager of Shields Valley. Both ran 38.04 in 1998.

While he kept looking to see if anyone had a chance break his son’s record, Andy Larson said he knew the mark would eventually fall.

“I just love the track season,” Andy Larson said. “I love to watch. (Records are) all made to be broken. It’s just a matter of who.”

For Coley, Jake Larson was a name he had been chasing for some time.

“I’ve been dreaming about this since last year at state. Like, I had the vision set in my mind and was just ready to go for it,” Coley told MontanaSports.com after the race. “Jake Larson, who set it, actually came up to me right afterwards and said, ‘Congratulations.’ It felt nice to be recognized like that by someone who had just previously held the record.”

As great as Jake was at the 2000 Class AA State meet in Bozeman, he was probably even better the next year in Great Falls. That year he returned home with seven medals, five of which were of the gold variety.

He won four golds on Day 1. He again won the 300 hurdles in 37.89 on Friday to go along with a victory in the 100 meters (11.08) and the 400 (49.01).

That meet is one that Charlie Merrifield, the late Butte High coaching legend, never forgot.

“I think he would have broken the 300 record again, but I think he was pointing toward those seven golds,” Merrifield said in 2020. “I think he loafed the first corner.”

Larson, Zach Ueland, Ross Richardson and Tim Boyle captured the 400-meter relay with a time of 42.70.

On Day 2, Larson defended his title in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.43. His silver medals came in the 200, where he barely lost to Ueland (21.85 to 21.90) and the 1,600-meter relay.

He ran with Ueland, Richardson and Matt Choquette in the long relay. Larson ran the last leg.

Jake’s State meet in 2001 just might be the greatest performance by a track athlete in Butte history. It ranks among the best in the history of the state, too.

During his athletic days at Butte High and Montana Western, Jake had a well-earned reputation for his brashness. He was cocky, and he had a streak of jerk in him. That, though, was part of what drove him. It was part of what made him great.

I remember him showing the ball to a Montana Tech defender as he finished off a long touchdown reception at Alumni Coliseum. I also remember him making what might be the greatest catch in the history of the Frontier Conference — this time against Tech in Dillon.

Jake also famously flipped off the hostile crowd at a basketball game in Kalispell.

Merrifield, though, vouched for Jake four years ago. He said he never had a problem with Jake.

“We understood each other pretty well,” Merrifield said. “I looked at him one time and said, ‘Jake, I’m going to do the thinking and you do the running because it’s obvious we can’t switch roles.’”

That he was there to congratulate Coley right after his record fell is also a testament to Jake’s character.

Jake is a shoe-in to eventually be voted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. So far, he probably has two obstacles keeping him out.

First, at 42, Jake is still young for the Hall of Fame. The average age of the last few Hall of Fame classes is closer to 72.

I also think his reputation might have worked against him, and that is not completely fair. People only like to remember the bad things.

Yes, Jake still walks on the brash side, but I know pretty him well. He was starting as a freshman on the Butte High varsity basketball team the first time I got to cover the Bulldogs as a writer.

Years later, Jake helped me coach Little League Baseball for several years as our kids grew up together.

All those years, Jake treated every boy on our team just as well as he treated his own. He would do anything to help those boys succeed. That includes running a relay with them around the bases when he had an injured ankle. It includes demonstrating how to slide on the hard dirt while wearing shorts.

Without question, Jake is one of the greatest athletes this town has every seen. I would say that even if he never held that record.

But Jake did hold that record for 8,765 glorious days, and that is something that should make him darn proud. All Butte fans should be proud.

So, here’s to Jake Larson for nearly a quarter century holding an incredible record.

And here’s to Nash Coley for reminding us that all records are made to be broken.

— Bill Foley, who would need 8,765 days to finish the 300 hurdles, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.