Coach Don Drake is no stranger to Ennis, Texas. Drake has served as Ennis’ athletic director since 2019, meaning Drake knows the tradition of excellence that the Ennis Lions have built and that the Ennis community expects.
Drake is also no stranger to being a head coach. Drake opened the Mckinney-Boyd football program back in 2006, where in the Broncos first season they went 0-10. Then in 2007 posted a 9-4 record and made a trip to the regional semifinals. Later on in the 2010, 2013, and 2014 seasons Drake led them to the area round of the post season.
Drake says he has always wanted to be a head football coach and when he was the athletic director for Ennis it was mostly management duties. Now that he is back to being a head coach, he can pursue his “real passion” that is working with kids and “when the opportunity presented itself to get back into coaching, I jumped at it.”
Drake inherits a very rich program with five state titles in 34 playoff appearances, four of which have been earned in the last 25 years, (2000, 2001, 2004, and 2014) and the first lone star state title goes back to 1975.
Drake hopes he can take his nine defensive returners onto the field to help make stops so that the three offensive returners can help out the young newcomers on the offensive side of the ball to score points and get experience on the field.
This year the team has around 30 seniors who Drake will use as his right hand men to lead the younger guys on and off the field. Some key players he pointed out to us include linebacker Xavier Collins, defensive line Klijah Parker, and defensive tackle Aiden Jones that shine not just as football players, but citizens of the Ennis community.