Renaming the high school mascots in eastern Idaho

The District 93 School Board approved Wednesday night the name Black Canyon High School for its new building with pending approval of the mascot Phantoms.

Reviews from the public and media alike have been a mixed bag.

Personally, I like it. It’s unique. I went to Marathon High School in New York state. We were, appropriately, the Olympians, and our colors orange and black. My college, St. Bonaventure, is known as the Bonnies. I’m familiar with trying to explain what a Bonnie actually is. It’s a part of what makes us bleed brown and white. Unique school-spirit has been a part of my educational process.

I think more people will come around to love the new Phantoms name and mascot combination once kids settle into classes and teams begin playing games donned in their new colors with their new identity as Black Canyon High School.

With the naming process nearly complete, pending a logo approval by the board, I though about all of the existing mascots in eastern Idaho. What if we were to re-name high school mascots all over again? I think it’d be a fun exercise to come up with unique names to each schools.

A few rules. First, no cat names. Sorry, but I agree with Paul Lambert of the Post Register. Cat names are over-used, and we already have too many in our area. After all the Cougars played the Cougars Friday night when Firth visited South Fremont. Second, a mascot can stand if it already makes sense for that school. Third, in order not to get into politics, any school with “Indians” as its mascot stands put. Even though I think there should only be one of each mascot in a given division, Pocatello and Preston get to keep their tradition here. Lastly, each mascot should try to be in coordination with the school’s name or history.

Starting with 5A:

— Bonneville Bees – Stands. I like it. It’s unique and appropriately uses alliteration. The only school in our area to use green and gold.
— Highland Rams – Stands. Where do real Rams normally hang out? High ground. They got this one right.
— Hillcrest Knights – Stands. No other school in our area uses Knights. Red is also in direct contrast to its biggest rival, Bonneville.
— Madison Bobcats – Change. This breaks our first rule. Cat names are over-used. Suggestion: Vikings. A throwback to the Ricks College days in Rexburg. It wouldn’t be the first time a high school has taken the name of the local university. Cornell is known as the Big Red. Ithaca high school goes by Little Red.
— Rigby Trojans – Stands. As long as the student body can still withstand all of the condom jokes from other schools.

4A

— Blackfoot Broncos – Stands. Alliteration is always good. Plus, horses helped settle the west. They got this one right.
— Century Diamondbacks – Change. Yes, snakes can be found all over our desert. But given the name of the high school, I’d go with Patriots. (By the way, I detest the New England Patriots.) Diamondbacks is much more suitable for Snake River High School.
— Idaho Falls Tigers – Change. No cat names. Plus the city was originally named Eagle Rock, so I’d go with the Idaho Falls Eagles.
— Pocatello Indians – Stands. See rule No. 3.
— Preston Indians – Stands. See rule No. 3. Although I do think at least one school should be changed just to avoid having the same mascot in the same division.
— Skyline Grizzlies – Change. Listen, Grizzlies isn’t used by any other large school in our area. But given the school’s name and proximity to the airport, I’d go with Jets. Or Pilots. Or even Flyers. (In fact, I despise the New York Jets and Dayton Flyers, but Dayton’s mascot is pretty unique. Look him up.)

3A

— American Falls Beavers – Stands. It’s unique and fits perfectly with the school’s name and connection to the reservoir.
— Marsh Valley Eagles – Change. I don’t mind the Eagles here. But it could roll off the tongue a lot smoother. I think Mustangs works better here. Try saying it to yourself. Marsh Valley Mustangs. Much better. (Can you begin to see I’m a fan of alliteration?)
— Shelley Russets – Stands. Perfectly unique, especially for the state’s most well-known export. Although they should have gone with a brown and gold color combination to fit the name and be more unique.
— Snake River Panthers – Change. No cat names. Diamondbacks or Rattlers is much more appropriate for obvious reasons.
— South Fremont Cougars – Change. No cat names. With a great view of Grand Teton, another word for grand is giant. The South Fremont Giants. SF Giants. Sound familiar, San Francisco fans?
— Sugar-Salem Diggers – Stands. Simply put, they got this one right.
— Teton Redskins – Change. Not for political reasons. I’ll leave that to the protestors in Washington D.C. Instead, I’d go with the Teton Mountaineers. Think about it. Also, I’d love to climb the Grand some day.

2A

— Aberdeen Tigers – Change. No cat names. Given the county’s connection to agriculture, Aberdeen Aggies fits nicely for the orange and black.
— Bear Lake Bears – Change. I like the bear moniker for obvious reasons, but it doesn’t flow well for me. Bear Lake Grizzlies sounds way. Imagine the student section chanting: Bear-Lake! Grizz-lies!
— Firth Cougars – Change. No cat names. How about the Flash? The Firth Flash? Can you imagine how awesome Barry Allen would be as the mascot?
— Malad Dragons – Stands. It’s unique. I like it. Plus orange is the color of fire, which is breathed by the mythical creature.
— North Fremont Huskies – Stands. Given the fact Ashton has been home to winter dog races for years, they got this one right.
— Ririe Bulldogs – Stands. Only the second dog reference on our list. I like it.
— Salmon Savages – Change. I don’t mind the Savages name, although there are some who could get political with it. Instead, I’m going with Steelheads. With our access to great fishing in Idaho, I’m actually surprised we don’t have more names associated with marine life.
— Soda Springs Cardinals – Change. The Cardinal is a unique team name within Idaho. But given the area’s association with the Oregon Trail, I’m going with the Trailblazers. Soda Springs Trailblazers sounds nice, doesn’t it? Also, keep red and black to match the Portland team by the same name.
— West Side Pirates – Change. Pirates in Idaho? Although I do like the fact the school uses the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, I’m changing this one. How about West Side Wolverines? You trade Jack Sparrow for an X-Men character. Plus you could use the University of Michigan wing-t helmet. That would be pretty cool.

A lot of fun to think about, huh? These are all just hypothetical changes for you to think about, so no hate mail, please. Even better, try to come up with a list of your own for the large schools (11-man football teams) in our area. It might be harder than it seems.