MaxPreps Mascot Mondays: Washington high school mascots

Just as important as a school's name and its location is its mascot. Options abound, and some teams go with the commonplace while others go with the truly unique.

In Washington, there are 383 schools with mascots listed in the MaxPreps database. Listed below are the Top 17 most popular mascot names in Washington, the mascot names that only one school owns and other mascot facts/stats.

SPUDDERS: POWERFUL POTATO-BASED PEOPLE
There are likely two definitions for what a Spudder is. Either it's "One who spuds" or "A student from Ridgefield High." In a way, they both fit, as the community in the southwestern part of the state embraces potato farming as a large part of its history. A name like Potatoers just wouldn't sound cool at all, and calling potatoes "spuds" is much more fun. People normally think of Idaho when it comes to potatoes, but according to Potatopro.com, Washington is No. 2 in the nation in potato production. Also of note, Union Ridge Elementary School in Ridgefield is the Tater Tots.

STRADDLING THE BORDER IN BLAINE
You can't get any closer to Canada than Blaine. And because of their proximity to our neighbors to the north, Blaine is the only school in the nation to be named the Borderites. The Borderites do their work right near the Peace Arch, a structure built exactly on the international border that affirms the two nations' commitment to being peaceful towards each other. Interestingly, the Peace Arch is located in a park and as long as you stay within the boundaries of the park, you can cross the international border without a visa or passport.

THE TOP OF THE TREE
Do they climb mountains or trees at Shelton? The logo tells the whole story. Washington is a land of big volcanoes and mountains, and big trees. So at Shelton, the High Climbers mascot name certainly fits the state's reputation as a place with big things. An axe on the school logo from the athletic department's is the big indicator, and so is logging history. Before machines became prevalent, the high climbers were the ones who chopped off limbs on their way to the top, and then would cut off the top of the tree before hooking up pulleys so that tree could be used as an anchor for the pulley system to pull logs around.

HYAKS = FAST FEET
The Chinook people are native to the northwest coast and some of their language and culture plays a large role in current-day life there. If you go to North Beach (Ocean Shores), good luck trying to catch one of the Hyaks. Hyak is a word from the Chinook language that translates roughly to hurry, fast or swift, according to "Washington State Place Names" written by James Phillips. The mascot logo at North Beach features a fleet-looking foot with wings, one that is usually connected with the Greek God named Hermes or Goodyear Tires. We'd bet they have quality track and cross country programs at North Beach.

BEST BILLYGOATS IN THE LAND
The origins of the BillyGoats mascot name at Pateros is elusive. What we do know is they call the female teams the Nannies, and that is the proper term for a female goat. We also know there is a Billy Goat Mountain in the area. This is a mascot name you will not find anywhere else in America, though the basic idea of the mascot name was emulated by Chelan High in Washington, which is the Mountain Goats. Goats are a popular form of livestock in many parts of the world, and in history have been used as pack animals. Perhaps they played a role in Pateros history, as the town's position at the confluence of the Methow and Columbia rivers saw it emerge as a shipping center in the early 1900s.

TOP 17 MOST POPULAR MASCOT NAMES
# Eagles 22 (There is 1 Golden Eagles)
# Bulldogs 13 (There is 1 Bullpups)
# Tigers 13 (There is 1 Tigercats)
# Vikings 13
# Warriors 11
# Wildcats 11
# Lions 11
# Panthers 11
# Cougars 10
# Falcons 9
# Knights 8
Cardinals 7
# Indians 7
Pirates 7
Rams 7
Spartans 7
# Mustangs 7
# Denotes mascot name is in America's Top 15

MASCOT NAMES USED BY ONLY 1 SCHOOL

Abes Acorns Bantams *Billygoats Blue Devils Bobcats Bombers *Borderites Broncos Buccaneers Bullpups Cadets Chiefs Chieftains *Chinooks *Chitwin Comets Conquerors Cowboys Cruisers Cubs

Devils Dragons Ducks Elks Fighting Irish Fishermen Goats Golden Eagles *Golden Gators Gorillas *Gulls *High Climbers Hilanders Hurricanes *Hyaks Invaders Irish Islanders Jackrabbits Kangaroos Kernels

Leopards Lightning Lobos Lumberjacks *Lyncs Marauders Mariners Mavericks Monarchs Mountain Lions Mules Navigators Nighthawks Papermakers Plainsmen Pumas Quakers Ravens Rebels Red Raiders *Red Wolves

Riverhawks Saxons Scotties Seagulls Sharks *Shockers *Spudders Stags Suns T-Birds *Tarriers *The Light Thunder *Tides *Tigercats Tomahawks Tornadoes Trappers Turks Vandals

* Denotes that no other school in America has that mascot name

MASCOT STATS
Most popular mascot name is used by 5.7 percent of schools.
There are 144 different mascot names for 383 schools.
16 schools have mascot names that no other American school has.
Washington's Top 17 features 13 of America's Top 15 mascot names.