National high school mascot bracket, Sweet 16: Vote for Hesston Swathers or Moorhead Spuds

Hesston (Kansas) is a 1 seed and Moorhead (Minnesota) is a 5 seed in High School On SI's NCAA Tournament-style contest

The Hesston Swathers (Kansas) take on the Moorhead Spuds (Minnesota) in the Sweet 16 of our national high school mascot bracket. / Graphic by Jesus Baca

March Madness has turned to April Sweetness in High School on SI's 2025 NCAA Tournament-style bracket to crown the best high school mascot in America.

Complete national high school mascot bracket

Vote below for the No. 1-seeded Hesston Swathers (Kansas) or the No. 5-seeded Moorhead Spuds (Minnesota) to advance beyond the Sweet 16.

The winner will face either the Mellen Granite Diggers (Wisconsin) or Bryn Mawr Mawrtians (Maryland) in the Elite 8.

The Swathers beat the Carlsbad Cavemen (New Mexico) in Round 1 and Goodrich Martians (Michigan) in Round 2.

The Spuds got past the Yuma Criminals (Arizona) in Round 1 and the Valley City Hi-Liners (North Dakota) in Round 2.

Voting for this matchup will conclude Friday, April 11, 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.

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."

5. Moorhead Spuds (Minnesota)

Moorhead’s teams have been called the Spuds for over 100 years. The name started being used in the late 1910s or early 1920s, inspired by at least one Moorhead school’s site atop a former potato field. The school's mascot is a big smiling potato named Spuddy.

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