MaxPreps Mascot Mondays: Hawaii 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 Hawaii, there are 82 schools with mascots listed in the MaxPreps database. Listed below are the Top 15 most popular mascot names in Hawaii, the mascot names that only one school owns and other mascot facts/stats.

IT'S NOT FOREIGN IN HAWAII
Moreso than any other state, Hawaii has mascot names that aren't found anywhere else. Sure, there's some creativity involved, but most of it is because Hawaii has its own language. In the Top 15 mascot names you will find the Moanalua (Honolulu) and Waimea Menehunes plus the 'Aiea and King Kekaulike (Pukalani) Na ali'i. Menehunes are small mythical creatures, like dwarves, that are rumored to live in the mountains and work at night as stone builders. Na ali'i translates roughly to "the chiefs" or "royalty." Even though they aren't in the Top 15, let's throw in the fact that Hawaii Prep (Kamuela) is the Ka Makani, which basically means "The Wind," and Maui Prep (Napili) is the Pueo, which is a type of owl native to the Hawaiian islands.

SURF'S UP - RIDE IT
The state that will be the first in the country to sanction surfing (by 2013) also has plenty of surf-related mascots, and they all have "riders" at the end. The most obvious is the Kailua Surfriders, but don't forget about the Waveriders from Kealakehe (Kailua-Kona) or the Seariders from Wai'anae.

RESPECT FOR U OF H
The University of Hawaii used to be known as the Rainbow Warriors but changed the mascot name to just Warriors. That jives well with the state's high school teams, as Warriors is the most popular choice with eight schools. It's significantly more popular too, as the next-best total is Lions with four. It's a rarity that a state's flagship university is the same as the state's most popular choice, as Louisiana (Tigers) and Missouri (Tigers) appear to be the only ones.

PINE (TREE) LADS, OR PINE (APPLE) LADS?
Lanai is a special spot in the Hawaiian Islands, as it is the only town on a tiny island, one that many tourists likely don't think of. But it has plenty of history, and according to Gohawaii.com, that history is how the kids at Lanai (Lanai City) became the Pine Lads (and Pine Lasses). However, it's somewhat of a double meaning. Are they named the Pine Lads because George Munro planted some of the state's first Cook Pine Trees when he took over ranching duties on the island? Or are they the Pine Lads because James Dole turned Lanai into the world's biggest pineapple producer, or "Pineapple Isle" as it came to be known? Hard to tell. But either way, the students at Lanai are the only Pine Lads in the nation, and we like that.

BIG AND LITTLE, JUST SWITCHED AROUND
University (Honolulu) is known as the Junior Rainbows. 'Anuenue (Honolulu) is known as the Rainbows. But don't think that University is little compared with 'Anuenue. It's the opposite. University is a Division I school and 'Anuenue is a Division II school in Hawaii's two-division system.

TOP 15 MOST POPULAR MASCOT NAMES
# Warriors 8
# Lions 4
# Bulldogs 3
# Trojans 3
# Wildcats 2
# Vikings 2
# Cougars 2
Dragons 2
# Eagles 2
Hurricanes 2
Menehunes 2
Na Alii 2
Red Raiders 2 (There is 1 Raiders)
Sabers 2
Spartans 2
# Denotes that mascot name is in America's Top 15

MASCOT NAMES USED BY ONLY 1 SCHOOL

Admirals Bears * Buff N' Blue Bulls * Canefire Cardinals Chargers Cowboys Crusaders * Daggers

Dolphins Falcons Farmers Golden Hawks Governors * Junior Rainbows * Ka Makani Knights Lancers * Lunas Marauders

* Mighty Mules Monarchs Mustangs Owls * Pine Lads Pride * Pueo Raiders * Rainbows Rams Rough Riders

Saints * Seariders * Seasiders Sharks Stallions * Surfriders Tigers Titans * Waveriders Wolfpack

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

MASCOT STATS:
Most popular mascot name is used by 9.8 percent of schools.
There are 57 different mascot names for 82 schools.
14 schools have mascot names that no other American school has.
Hawaii's Top 15 includes features 8 of America's Top 15 mascot names.