National high school mascot bracket, Round 1: Vote for Hesston Swathers or Carlsbad Cavemen

Hesston (Kansas) is a 1 seed and Carlsbad (New Mexico) is a 16 seed in the first round

Mike Swanson | Mar 17, 2025

The Hesston Swathers (Kansas) take on the Carlsbad Cavemen (New Mexico) in Round 1. / Graphic by Jesus Baca

The bracket is set for High School on SI's 2025 NCAA Tournament-style contest to determine the best high school mascot in America, and Round 1 is underway.

Vote below for the No. 1-seeded Hesston Swathers (Kansas) or the No. 16-seeded Carlsbad Cavemen (New Mexico) to advance to the second round.

The winner will face either the Goodrich Martians (Michigan) or Aurora Greenmen (Ohio).

The Swathers earned a 1 seed by winning our statewide Kansas contest with 38,648 votes, while the Cavemen won New Mexico with just one vote to earn a 16 seed.

Follow along: National Mascot Tournament 2025 Bracket

Voting for this matchup will conclude Monday, March 24, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

High School on SI voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You are limited to one vote every 6 hours and are encouraged to share our polls with others.

1. Hesston Swathers (Kansas)

A swather is a piece of farming equipment that's crucial to the town of Hesston. From an article on farmlife.com: "The swather mascot first came into play in 1970, says Clint Stoppel, athletic director at the Kansas school. School officials wanted to pay tribute to the AGCO Corporation plant (previously known as Hesston Manufacturing) and the crucial role the manufacturer played then and now in the town’s economy."

16. Carlsbad Cavemen (New Mexico)

Similar to the Salem Witches in Massachusetts, Carlsbad's Cavemen score extra points over the other Cavemen in the country thanks to historical authenticity. Carlsbad Caverns National Park features more than 100 caves.

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports

Published Mar 17, 2025

MIKE SWANSON

Mike Swanson is the VP of Content for High School On SI. He's been in journalism since 2003, having worked as a reporter, city editor, copy editor and high school sports editor in California, Connecticut and Oregon.