On Monday, the Burlington Free Press sports page started a special tournament to find the best high school mascot/nickname in the state of Vermont. 64 schools were put into the bracket and seeded 1-16. The first round started today and will go into Thursday, but as someone who is intrigued by brackets and tournaments, I had to go deeper into it.
For this topic, I'm going to use divisions 1-4 for each "Region" of the bracket, although the school may not actually be in said division. Also, I won't take into account past nickname (SB Rebels, Rutland Raiders) and just go with the current ones. The criteria for my picks involve three topics: logo likeness, twitter hashtags (in some cases) and the significance of the nickname/mascot within the school. There also may be some bias with different nicknames or schools involved.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the bracket.
Division 1
Mount Anthony Patriots vs. Burlington Seahorses --- BHS are one of the few schools who have a mascot at their games, while MAU have a nickname that is near and dear to my heart (New England fan here). I have a feeling Burlington will take this one based on local interest, but my pick is the Patriots.
Mount Mansfield Cougars vs. North Country Falcons --- MMU's #CougarNation is a catchy name for their fanbase and get my pick in this round, even though NCU has the more intriguing logo in this matchup.
St. Johnsbury Hilltoppers vs. Brattleboro Colonels --- This one is tough based on the logos, as both schools use special letters (SJ vs. B). The colonel swords on the B for Brattleboro gives them the edge over St. J in that category and is my pick.
Rutland Ravens vs. Rice Green Knights --- Rutland just changed their nickname to the Ravens, but it's nothing new. Rice were the little Indians until 2005, but the Green Knights name has worked out for them. I'm going with Rice here.
South Burlington Wolves vs. Middlebury Tigers --- the SB community have recognized the Wolves nickname after the change from the Rebels and their logo is better than Middlebury's (at least the one put up in the bracket). The Wolves get the check mark in this round.
Burr and Burton Bulldogs vs. BFA St. Albans Bobwhites/Comets --- One of the schools that have two different nicknames/mascots for their boys and girls teams, BFA-St. Albans use two unique names for the sports teams. However, the logo for BBA is better (BFA has no logo up on the bracket site...yet) and that's enough for me to give them the win.
CVU Red Hawks vs. Essex Hornets --- CVU has the better logo and the name is more unique than the Crusaders nickname that they used until 2006. But this is where the bias comes in as an EHS alum. #HornetPride all the way.
Spaulding Crimson Tide vs. Colchester Lakers --- This one goes to Colchester as the Laker nickname is a unique look and the logo recognizes the state's greatest mythical creature (at least I hope that's what it's suppose to look like).
Division 2
Enosburg Hornets vs. Green Mountain Valley Gumbies --- There are too many members of the bee family when it comes to nicknames at Vermont schools, so picking Enosburg would be tough. But it's made tougher by the fact that their going up against the Gumbies nickname. GMVS is the winner.
Lyndon Vikings vs. Vergennes Commodores --- This one was tricky because both logos are strong and, while the Viking nickname is not as unique in the sports world, it is special in this state. In this matchup, I have to let my bias get to me again (being at Lyndon for college) and go with LI.
Springfield Cosmos vs. Milton YellowJackets --- Another bee mascot in this matchup with Milton, while Springfield has a nickname fans can enjoy saying. The Cosmos win this round.
Fair Haven Slaters vs. BFA-Fairfax Bullets --- The Bullets nickname may not be as special as it once was, while I'm still trying to figure out what a slater is. But after looking at the logos, I have to go with Fair Haven.
Hartford Hurricanes vs. Bellows Falls Terriers --- Hartford has a spiffier logo and the Hurricane name is unique for a state that don't see them often. But the logo of BF is special and gives them the pick.
Montpelier Solons vs. Mount Abraham Eagles --- Mount Abe's nickname isn't that unique (so many Eagles) and the logo isn't as cool as Montpelier's. So the Solons are my pick here.
Harwood Highlanders vs. Lamoille Lancers --- Another tricky one as both logos are great and the nicknames are special, using ones with the same starting letter as the school name. I gave the edge to Harwood here for it's black and yellow color scheme.
Missisquoi Thunderbirds vs. U-32 Raiders --- The Raider nickname may have lost its flow after Rutland's change, but even if you don't consider that, the Thunderbirds are a more unique nickname. Missisquoi gets the check mark here.
Division 3
Randolph Galloping Ghosts vs. Leland & Gray Rebels --- Another matchup with a nickname that may not be special anymore with the Rebels. The Galloping Ghosts nickname is great, but also controversial (google it kids). I'll still give Randolph the pick in this round.
Poultney Blue Devils vs. Williamstown Blue Devils --- Here's a first, two teams with the same nickname going head-to-head. The difference; Poultney had no logo on the bracket, so Williamstown is my pick.
Thetford Panthers vs. Stowe Raiders --- As I said in the U-32 matchup, the name change in Rutland hurt the Raider name a bit. But the logo Stowe uses keeps it from being irrelevant against Thetford, who's logo is good, just not good enough in this matchup.
Peoples Wolves vs. Mill River Minutemen --- Another tough one as both logos are great and each nickname is significant to the school. In the end, I'm going with Peoples in the round.
Woodstock Wasps vs. Windsor Yellowjackets --- Another matchup of teams with similar nicknames (two bee-type insects), so another tough pick for me. After careful consideration, I had to give Woodstock the nod.
Rivendell Raptors vs. Otter Valley Otters --- VT bias comes into play here as Rivendell is actually located in New Hampshire, but are a member of the VPA. Even without that, a team nicknamed the Otters is more intriguing than the Raptors, so Otter Valley gets the win.
Lake Region Rangers vs. Hazen Wildcats --- Hazen has a great logo, but the Wildcat name is overused in sports. At the same time, the Ranger name (while used by some pro sports teams) is a special name and gives Lake Region the edge here.
Oxbow Olympians vs. Green Mountain Chieftains --- The Olympian nickname is such a unique one that even if you don't put in the issues with the Chieftain name (Google it, kids), Oxbow would still get my pick.
Division 4
Proctor Phantoms vs. Richford Falcons/Rockets --- Richford is another school with multiple nicknames for their boys and girls teams. Even with that, Proctor gets my pick as their nickname and logo are better.
Twin Valley Wildcats vs. White River Valley Wildcats --- The battle of the wildcats, but this one is easier for me to pick. White River Valley's logo is more special than Twin Valley's, so it gets the check mark in this round.
Sharon Phoenix vs. Craftsbury Chargers --- The Phoenix is such a special logo that I couldn't give Sharon the nod in this one.
Winooski Spartans vs. Mount St. Josephs Mounties/Green Wave --- No matter the name, MSJ's logo is more in your face than Winooski's, so the Green Wave (or Mounties, if you prefer that) are my pick here.
West Rutland Golden Horde vs. Long Trail Lynx --- West Rutland gets my pick here as the Golden Horde nickname is one that you don't see anywhere else (perhaps for a good reason?)
Twinfield Trojans vs. Northfield Marauders --- Another one where I give the win to the team with the better logo. This time, it's Northfield with the pick.
Arlington Eagles vs. Mid-Vermont Christian Eagles --- The final matchup with schools that have the same nickname. After doing some research (aka, finding the logos), MVCS gets my pick.
Vermont Commons Flying Turtles vs. Blue Mountain Bucks --- BMU have a good logo, but VT Commons have the nickname (and perhaps logo) of the tournament with the Flying Turtles. They get my pick in the final first round match.
There we have it. My picks for every first round match in the BFP Mascot tournament. I tried my best to give each school a look, but sometimes my memory of certain schools and their logo/nickname can be foggy, so I went with what I had. Hopefully my views can give you some thoughts on each matchup and help you make your picks. Remember, voting continues until Thursday and my hope is that a lot of people get out there and vote for their favorite school. Good luck and enjoy the ride.
