The Bayou City has its own “Coach O”.
Cypress Springs third-year head coach Oji Fagan has been “chopping” his way through the Houston high school football wilderness to lead his Panthers to a 3-0 record entering district play.
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The Brooklyn-native moved to Houston after playing college ball and getting his feet wet in professional coaching.
By luck, he landed on staff with Fort Bend Marshall with coach James Williams. He quickly found out about winning and running a program.
“You don’t have enough time for me to go over the things I learned from Coach Williams,” he laughed. “What he taught me was to control the controlables. He never complained about the obstacles we had… he never complained. He just finds a way to make the most of every situation. That’s what I try and do.”
Fagan got the Cypress Springs job in 2020 and now enters year three. His program has taken hold, but it took some work.
“When I first got here, I was just hearing about the obstacles,” he said. “It thought they were joking. That is when I really realized what we had to do to build that program at Marshall under Coach Williams. I just didn’t focus on the problem, but the situation at hand.”
He was able to bring on his three “dynamic” coordinators, who “understood the vision and helped me build the foundation,” he said.
“What I learned at Marshall is that you have to invest in relationships with your players,” he said. “It has to be at a deeper level. It’s a marriage between coaches, players and the parents. That just establishes trust.”
Last season, the Panthers went 4-6, just short of the postseason. They were just “a year away.”
Now, it’s 2023 and the Panthers have hit their stride, knocking off Bush, Heights and Jersey Village with Cypress Ranch on deck.
“We just block out the noise,” he said. “We have the making of a good team, but we are not trying for a playoff spot or a district title, we are just being the best we can each day. We don’t know how good we can be. We don’t know what our ceiling is, so we can’t cap ourselves.”
Running the offense is three-year QB Harrison Mass, who has over 750 yards of offense and 12 TDs.
“He’s the General,” Fagan said. “He has taken ownership of the offense. Tim Saunders is back from injury and will be the bell cow running the ball. We are blessed with some great receivers in Michael Johnson and Rashod and Jamon Richardson. Nick Brown and Paris Melvin flip over from their corner positions to play slot too. They are a special group.”
The defense has been a pleasant surprise.
“Ryan Lynch and Isaiah Wheat have been very disruptive up front and LB Ja’von Mims has been playing at an unbelievable level. Melvin and Brown are Power 5 cornerbacks,” he said.
Fagan also took another page out of his mentor’s playbook.
“Coach Williams helped me find the right job,” he said. “You have to have athletes and we looked at the feeder patterns. There has been talent here, so I knew we would have a chance. I’ve been in heaven since arriving at Cypress Springs.”
His energy is rubbing off on the student body as well.
“When we first got here, there was just family and some staff members in the stands,” he laughed. “Last week, the stadium was packed. We didn’t know what to think. It was great to see. This place is
excited and we have seen a different vibe in the hallways.”
Winning doesn’t hurt.