Best high school mascot in Arizona: Top 10 candidates

From Gila Monsters to Minotaurs to Criminals, meet the best high school mascots in Arizona

Arizona is known for its desert climate, but some of the state's high school mascots will remind you to look out for monsoon season and yetis.

And everybody knows about the state's Sun Devils, but beware the Sand Devils.

SBLive Sports' love for unique mascots with interesting back stories has been well documented.

We've crowned Hodags and Imps the past couple of years in national high school mascot contests, and now we're taking a spin through every state.

Over the next couple of months we'll go from Alabama through Wyoming featuring each state's best high school mascots, and then give readers a chance to vote for their favorite. Our Arizona poll will post Oct. 5 on highschool.si.com and stay open through Oct. 12.

Vote: Which is the best high school mascot in Alabama?

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Vote: Which is the best high school mascot in Alabama?

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Vote: Which is the best high school mascot in Alaska?

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Vote: Which is the best high school mascot in Alaska?

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Here are the top 10 high school mascots in Arizona:

Bagdad Sultans

Though the mascot name is somewhat of a reference to Baghdad, Iraq, the name of the town isn’t. Legend has it that a father and son operated a small-scale copper mining operation in the area in the late 1800s. The father dug out the ore and the son loaded it into bags. Hence, Bagdad.

Basis Yeti

Arizona isn’t known for its snow, but Flagstaff — home of the Basis Yeti — accumulates more of it annually than Denver. The Himalayas, however, still have it beat by much more than a shovelful.

Canyon del Oro Dorados

A Dorado is a mythical Latin American warrior, and Canyon del Oro has that nickname all to itself in U.S. high school sports. The Dorados have won a ton of state titles over the years but are especially known for their baseball and softball prowess. One notable alumnus is former NFL referee Ed Hochuli, who boasted bigger biceps than the most impressive of all Dorados.

Flowing Wells Caballeros

By definition, a caballero is a Spanish gentleman, but in the Southwestern United States it’s known more as a horseman. However you want to apply the definition, Flowing Wells has the only Caballeros in the country in high school sports.

Gila Bend Gila Monsters

Arizona and California are the only U.S. states native to Gila monsters, and the small town of Gila Bend is the only high school in the country to claim the venomous lizard as its mascot. The town is named after its spot on a curve in the Gila River, but the high school chose a more monstrous approach for its athletic teams.

Heritage Academy Heroes

There are four Heritage Academy locations in Arizona, and the schools are such a big fan of “Heroes” as a mascot that every one of them uses it. For example, Heritage Academy played football against Heritage Academy earlier this season, and the Heroes beat the Heroes 38-0.

Odyssey Institute Minotaurs

Odyssey Institute isn’t led by just any minotaur — it’s Marty the Minotaur, a fearsome-looking sort with a snarling gaze and stoic posture. The school’s motto is “We Dream, We Achieve, We Lead,” and its nickname is "The Odyssey Institute for Advanced and International Studies West of the Mississippi and North of the Equator.”

Page Sand Devils

Not only is Page unique with its nickname (they’re the only Sand Devils in the country), but the logo is as good as it gets. Backed by a P, the school took a Tasmanian Devil-esque tornado and swapped in a red devil wearing a cape and wielding a pitchfork.

Valley Vista Monsoon

Monsoon season is very real in Arizona, bringing high humidity, thunderstorms, heavy rain, lightning, hail, high winds, flash flooding, dust storms and extreme heat from June through September. There’s one other high school in the U.S. called the Monsoon, but it’s in Lakewood, California, which doesn’t boast much of a monsoon season, so Valley Vista wins.

Yuma Criminals

Here's how Yuma High School tells it: In 1913, "the Yuma football team traveled to Phoenix to play the 'Coyotes.' Yuma High won. The angry 'Coyotes' dubbed the Yuma High players the 'Criminals.' At first 'Criminals' was a fighting word. Before long, students and teachers wore the name with pride, and in 1917, the school board officially adopted the nickname. Yuma High School has been proudly called the home of the 'Criminals' ever since."

(Feature photo by April Barton/FREE PRESS / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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