Top 5 high school mascots in Kansas: Vote for the best

From Greenbacks to Teutons, meet the best high school mascots in Kansas

The Hesston Swathers celebrate their championship win over Royal Valley in 2022. / Sandra J. Milburn/The Hutchinson News / USA TODAY NETWORK

As only Kansas high school mascot fans know, you never take a Swather into a partially flooded field, because you might run into some Greenbacks.

Over the next couple of months, SBLive/SI will be featuring the best high school mascots in every state, giving readers a chance to vote for No. 1 in all 50.

Vote: Best high school mascot in Indiana

Vote: Best high school mascot in Iowa

The winners and highest vote-getters will make up the field for our NCAA Tournament-style March Mascot Madness bracket in 2025. The Coalinga Horned Toads (California) are the defending national champions.

Here are High School on SI's top five high school mascots in Kansas (vote in the poll below to pick your favorite):

The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, Oct. 10.

1. Greenbacks (Pratt HS)

Pratt's "Fighting Frog" mascot is among the snazziest in the nation, sporting a monogrammed "P" sweater and stylish cap. The football field at Pratt used to flood and turn it into a swamp of sorts, and since frogs live in swamps, they chose a frog as its mascot and the name Greenbacks since it's more interesting than Frogs.

2. Kaws (Perry-Lecompton HS)

Perry-Lecompton's Kaw mascot looks a lot like an all-blue version of the Kansas Jayhawk, and the high school is just 15 minutes away from Allen Fieldhouse. Perry and Lecompton consolidated in 1970, and Perry's mascot, the Kaws, was so good that it stuck through unification.

3. Ringnecks (Hill City HS)

Hill City, aka Ringneck Country, is an area known for its pheasant hunting — specifically the ringneck pheasant. The Hill City Ringnecks, meanwhile, annually hunt for state championships.

4. Swathers (Hesston HS)

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. Teutons (Inman HS)

Inman is rife with German heritage, and a Teuton is a Germanic fighting warrior from around the second century BC. Inman has the only Teutons in U.S. high school sports.

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive | @sblivesports