Independence High School (IHS) is currently undergoing a change in leadership as the current Athletic Director, Kyle Story is retiring.  Defensive Coordinator, Nicholas Stokes, is taking the mantle of director. This is a big change for IHS as Story has led the program alongside  Stokes, his assistant director, since the opening of the school in 2014. 

Stokes details how he feels about moving up from a defensive coordinator to a head athletic coordinator. 

“It’s an awesome feeling and it’s something I’ve been working towards for a very long time,” Stokes said. “The feeling is really great, but it also comes with the realization that there’s a lot of work to be done as the leader of the program.”

Stokes coached first at Decatur High School. He was an assistant coach under Story. 

Story and Stokes’ relationship goes back over 20 years.

“I met Coach Stokes in 1999 when I got my first Athletic Director/Head Football Coaching job at Decatur,” Story said. “ He went on to college at UNT in Denton and when he graduated we hired him in Decatur to coach our freshman football team. He moved up to be a varsity coach and then became our defensive coordinator in 2012, after which he moved to Frisco Independence with us in 2014 and became our defensive coordinator.”

Stokes details what it was like playing for Story and working with him over the years.

“Story has had a tremendous influence on me in the way that I lead as a coach,” Stokes said. “What I’ve really taken away from him is how to properly run a football program and more importantly a school-wide athletic program. When you have great mentors in your life, as I have, it really allows you to pick and choose the elements you want to carry into your career”.

Aside from the coaches adjusting to the new change in leadership, many of the athletes feel bitter-sweet about the changes occurring.

Rising senior Chase Warren believes Stokes will make a great fit. 

“It was shocking to hear that he’s leaving especially since he’s been here for so long,” Warren said. “He shows so much love to the students and he has always been a good guy to me and to the program.”

Although Stokes attributes a lot of his success to his predecessor, many of the coaches and colleagues he’s worked with have had an impact on him as well. 

“It’s critical for everyone to understand, they hired me from within our program, and that doesn’t happen unless we have incredible athletic programs in place,” Stokes said. “When the athletic programs at a school are high functioning and efficient that’s when people inside the program get chances. I am fortunate to be in this position because of the work of our assistant coaches before us.”

Stokes is the interim Athletic Director for the rest of the year as he gets situated in the new position, but will officially be the new director at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.

“My first job was working at Decatur and when you first get into coaching you want to win games and you want to win championships, but the longer you’re in it you realize, it’s not about that at all. It’s about the kids and the relationships,” he said.