Gil Thorp by Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill for September 28, 2012

Have we had the Balford Bruins before? Milford seems to exist in a rural oasis with a few other small towns, giving the whole region an inbred look.

I keep saying the same thing, though maybe he’s more of a tailback… Either way, give the kid the ball! He’s gonna have to run back something to wake them up.

The Ballard crowd is the same crowd that used to cheer Lini Verde in basketball – turncoats!http://www.gocomics.com/gilthorp/2011/03/08

The guy in P1 looks high on bath salts.

Ballard Senior High was made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Robert Ballard.

Nice reference to Louisville, KY Ballard H.S.. Next week….Tussle with Tilden.

Based on those scary looking fans in P1, Ballard is evidently where AMC films “The Walking Dead.”

Would someone really make a sign using the term “mangle”?

@kdizzleI wondered the same thing as Have Mop. How’d you find that?

Wow “kdizzle”, the same artwork with a “Mangle Milford” sign added. Another inquiring mind wants to know, how the heck did you find or know this?

@ kdizzle . . . amazing. Simply amazing on the recall.

kdizzle, you must either have a great memory or a heckuva lot of time on your hands. I love panel-recycling call outs!

Ballard High School named for (after a generous donation by) Kaye Ballard.

Pretty soon that kid with the deranged look is going to start holding up a John 3:16 sign or something.

Nicely done kdizzle! I don’t know anything about comic strip production, but how easy is it to lift one drawing from another and redeposit in another? I also like Gilfan79’s description of the Walking Dead. If you look back to the crowd one year ago, it is clear that it is two sacks of Idaho potatoes that are holding up the Mangle sign.

Ballard recovers the fumble. The ’Arsh lad plays linebacker, picks one off, takes it to the house, extra point converted and the Mudlarks are a surprising 2-0. Ho-hum.

Gutdom. Will Milford hire a real coach that lives in this century and doesn’t sport a fracking flat top?

Team’s got a bunch of dirty rotten ballards.

Deranged kid still not looking where everyone else is. Must be oogling the cheerleaders. No wonder he is so excited.