Best high school mascot in South Carolina: Top 10 candidates

From Auctioneers to Landsharks to Siberian Tigers, meet the best high school mascots in South Carolina

Author:
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
Updated:
Nov 18, 2023 5:42 PM EST
Original:
Nov 17, 2023

The Devildogs chased away the Swamp Rabbits years ago in South Carolina high school sports, but the state still has Swampcats and Swamp Foxes.

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 past couple of months we've been going from Alabama through Wyoming featuring each state's best high school mascots, and then giving readers a chance to vote for their favorite. Our South Carolina poll posted Nov. 18 on highschool.si.com and will stay open through Nov. 25:

Here are the top 10 high school mascots in South Carolina:

Bishop England Battling Bishops

Seven other U.S. high schools go by the Bishops, but Bishop England has the only Battling Bishops in the country. One incarnation of its mascot is among the most amusing in U.S. history — an angry-looking bishop wearing boxing gloves who looks ready to defend his fighting spirit.

Greg Mathis Siberian Tigers

Not only are these the only Siberian Tigers among U.S. high schools, their logo is absolutely on fire (see above).

Laurence Manning Swampcats

From the school website: "The legend of 'The Swampcat' mascot evolved from the local newspaper report of sightings and evidence of a large, mysterious, cat-like swamp creature that was preying on livestock on the farmland on which the new school would be built. Such a fierce mascot as this was readily adopted."

Lower Richland Diamond Hornets

We searched hard but couldn't figure out exactly why these Hornets are called Diamond Hornets (email swanson@scorebooklive.com if you know the answer). They go by either the Hornets, Diamonds or Diamond Hornets, and they've produced some big-time athletes over the years — from Richard Seymour on the gridiron to Pokey Reese on the diamond.

Marion Swamp Foxes

Francis Marion was known as the Swamp Fox during the Revolutionary War because of his camouflage skills in the forested surroundings. Marion the town was named after the military hero, and the high school took it even further by taking his nickname.

Mullins Auctioneers

Founded in 1872, the city of Mullins became the tobacco capital of South Carolina by the end of the century. Oddly enough, that history is where the name Auctioneers came from at the high school. Once called the Tornadoes, the school needed new uniforms and tobacco businessmen came to the rescue. The school changed its mascot to the Auctioneers to salute the auctioneering process for tobacco sales.

Oceanside Collegiate Academy Landsharks

Oceanside Collegiate Academy is very close to the Atlantic Ocean, but certainly not on the ocean, so Landsharks technically makes more sense than Sharks. And these Landsharks can play — they won seven state championships in 2022-23.

Pickens Blue Flame

Pickens used to be among the many Wildcats in U.S. high school sports, but that changed in the 1920s thanks to a local sports editor who wrote that Pickens was “burning through the defense of the opposition like a blue flame.” They’ve been the Blue Flame ever since.

The Georgetown School Kingfishers

The University of Illinois has drawn lots of attention this year by adding a Kingfisher mascot at its games, but in the high school ranks, The Georgetown School got there first.

Travelers Rest Devildogs

Travelers Rest became the Devildogs in 1950, when football coach Chico Bolin named the team in honor of the U.S. Marines who fought in World War II. Travelers Rest had a unique mascot past before 1950 as well, formerly competing as the Purple Flashes and Swamp Rabbits.

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