Video: Tevyn Cagins returns home to Fisher to restore Gators’ bite

All throughout Louisiana, there are small towns which are close-knit communities which embrace their own.

That is most notable with schools and with the athletic teams those schools field annually.

Lafitte is one such town in the lower echelon of Jefferson Parish.

Fisher High School is the community school.

As the song for the television show “Cheers” stated, it is a place where everybody knows your name.

A familiar name has returned to right the ship, to attempt to but bite back in the Gator.

Tevyn Cagins was an excellent player at Fisher from 2008-11 before going on to play for UL-Monroe from 2012-15.

Most recently, Cagins was at Patrick Taylor, where he helped get the football program started and also served as the girls basketball coach and as an assistant baseball coach.

Now, Cagins has accepted the call home to his alma mater at Fisher, where the Gators have not won a game over the last two seasons.

The challenge is steep but Cagins is ready to accept it, as he noted on All Access on 106.1 FM Monday night.

“I absolutely know this is home,” Cagins said. “I knew I wanted to come back home because home is always there for you.”

Cagins remembers what it was like as a player for the Gators.

“Back in the day, it was great,” Cagins said. “It is a small community. Everybody packed the stadium for Friday Night Lights. There is just one way in and one way out of Lafitte.”

He sees things a bit different in 2020 than when he played.

“Everybody used to come to the games but we kind of lost that,” Cagins said. “We’re trying to get that back. We want to at least give them a couple of wins. It’s more than just wins and losses. We want people to come in here and have to work hard for a win, not to have an easy victory.”

Cagins understands the dynamic of building a program, coming from Patrick Taylor.

“Absolutely,” Cagins said. “The ages are about the same. We’ve got a lot of young guys at Fisher, the same as it was at Patrick Taylor. We’ve got a lot of young guys with only six or seven seniors this year. We’re real young but the future’s bright.”

One thing that has improved dramatically are the numbers.

“Last year, they finished with about 22 players,” Cagins said. “We have about 48 players now.”

How has Cagins dealt with the unusual offseason?

“On top of all the coronavirus restrictions and guidelines, mother nature came in and hit us,” Cagins said. “We had three storms come in and set us back a week because we flood down here. Then we had another week off because of flood on the roads. We’re kind of like two weeks behind everybody else. We’re trying to play catch-up at the moment.”

The Gators open at home Friday night against St. Martin’s Episcopal.

“We’re happy about the opportunity,” Cagins said. “It’s kind of rekindling an old rivalry when we would play these guys in district. Coach (Frank) Gendusa was at Newman back in the day with Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. I know they are going to be ready. It’s going to be a good test for the direction of the program.”

Fisher competes in District 11-2A, a league it should be able to compete in.

“We’ve got Thomas Jefferson on our schedule, Haynes, Ben Franklin, Kenner Discovery and they are up and coming,” Cagins said. “They are looking pretty great. They should all be competitive games.”

Cagins has a solid nucleus of nice players he will count on in 2020.

“On offense, we will be led by quarterback Matthew Creppel, a senior this year,” Cagins said. “We’ll have running back Delvin Williams, a junior and receiver Elijah Lewis. He’s a actually a sophomore. On the defensive side, we have Tirrell Williams at defensive tackle, middle linebacker Austin Phillips and safety Trey Usey, who has an offer for baseball to UNO. We’re glad to have him out for football.”

What would it mean for Fisher to win in football again?

“A lot of our kids, they work with dad and mom on the boat or on the tugs,” Cagins said. “It’s a battle. Some kids have to work. They can’t just take a day off. They’ve got to help the family. We’re very close-knit. Everybody knows everybody. The joke is everybody’s related in Lafitte. It would mean so much to win here to this community.”

With one of its own, Fisher may well be on the right track to getting the train back on the track and rolling downhill.