WALLER, Texas (Oct. 9, 2026) — The Waller Bulldogs scored 73 points Friday night at Daikin Stadium and beat Cypress Springs 73-48 to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in District 23-6A. Junior quarterback Tristin “TK” Gaines completed 12 of 23 passes for 303 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. Senior Glowin Mbobile caught eight passes for 225 yards and three scores.
“Tonight was a game of adversity on offense, defense and special teams,” head coach Marcus Mendoza said. “There was a lot of emotion, there was a lot of short drives, there was a lot of long drives, but at the end of the day, our kids found a way to win and come out on top and do things the right way and make sure that we’re continuing to build pride into Waller.”
How the 73 points happened
Waller scored on its opening drive. Senior Dariyin Smith ran 11 yards for a touchdown at 9:22 of the first quarter. The extra point was good, and the Bulldogs led 7-0.
At 4:58, Gaines found freshman Makhy Adams for a 56-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.
Cypress Springs answered at 2:35 when Yogi Martin Jr. scored on a 56-yard run, cutting the lead to 14-7.
Mbobile caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Gaines at 1:25, and Waller led 21-7 after one quarter.
Waller kicked a 29-yard field goal at 6:32 of the second quarter for a 24-7 lead.
Cypress Springs returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to make it 24-14.
Michael Tshitenge caught a 42-yard touchdown pass at 4:45, and Waller led 31-14.
Cypress Springs scored again at 1:41 to cut the margin to 31-21.
Senior Kyle Bice caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Gaines with 22 seconds left in the half. Waller led 38-21 at intermission.
Cypress Springs scored on a 14-yard pass at 5:38 of the third quarter to make it 38-28. Mbobile answered with a 62-yard run at 4:50, and Adams caught a 4-yard touchdown pass at 1:43. Waller led 52-28 after three quarters.
Cypress Springs scored early in the fourth to make it 52-35.
At 8:01, Waller sophomore Mackenzie Dean recovered a fumble on the Panthers’ 6-yard line and scored. The extra point made it 59-42.
Cypress Springs scored again at 3:30, but the two-point conversion failed.
Waller senior Mason Coursey returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards for a touchdown at 3:21, and Smith scored on an 8-yard pass from Gaines at 1:52. Final: Waller 73, Cypress Springs 48.
Mendoza said he tells his players before every game that something bad is going to happen and focuses on how they respond. “In this game, there was a lot of bad that happened, but how they were able to respond to it,” he said. “We were just really proud of them. The way we try to teach them and talk to them about respecting the game, expecting something to happen and your reaction is going to show a lot. And I thought we did the best job that we could.”
Statistics
Official Waller totals: 213 rushing, 303 passing, 516 yards of offense. Cypress Springs was held to 369 yards (173 rush, 196 pass). The Bulldogs forced three turnovers (one interception, two fumble recoveries) and did not turn the ball over.
Gaines finished 12-of-23 for 303 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. He also ran 12 times for 105 yards.
Smith carried 14 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Adams caught three passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Mbobile had eight catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Bice’s only catch was the 10-yard score. Coursey had two kickoff returns for 59 yards and one touchdown. Dean returned a fumble for a score. Junior kicker Omar Alvarez was 10-of-10 on extra points and 1-of-1 on field goals (29 yards).
Scoring by quarter
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cypress Springs | 7 | 14 | 7 | 20 | 48 |
| Waller | 21 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 73 |
District 23-6A notes
Cypress-Bridgeland (3-0) remains the clear leader in District 23-6A.
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Cypress Ranch, Fulshear, and Waller are all 2-1. Fulshear holds the head-to-head edge over Waller after a 38-28 win on Sept. 25. Cypress Ranch beat Fulshear 24-7 on Oct. 8. Waller and Cypress Ranch meet on Oct. 24 at Cy-Fair FCU Stadium. A Waller win that night would create a three-way circular tie among those teams if they finish with identical district records, shifting any final tiebreaker to points among the three rather than pure head-to-head.
On looking ahead in the district, Mendoza said the Bulldogs have to take it one game at a time. “The district we’re in right now, everybody’s playing really well,” he said. “We got to take it week to week, literally a one and 0 mindset every week and have that game the most important game and not look too far ahead.”
Next game (Homecoming 2026)
Waller hosts Foster on Friday, Oct. 16, at Daikin Stadium for homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Go Bulldogs.
Reporting by Creighton Holub for Waller Sentinel, based on sideline notes and official statistics provided by the Waller coaching staff.
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