Vote now for best high school mascot in America, Elite 8: Camas County Mushers vs. Bend Lava Bears

Camas County (Idaho) is the 2 seed and Bend (Oregon) is the 9 seed in the West region

The Elite Eight is upon us in SBLive Sports' NCAA Tournament-style contest to determine the best high school mascot in America.

Vote below for the No. 2-seeded Camas County Mushers (Idaho) or the No. 9-seeded Bend Lava Bears (Oregon) to advance to the Final Four. The Mushers beat the Omaha Benson Mighty Bunnies (Nebraska) and the Lava Bears topped the Page Sandites (Oklahoma) in the Sweet 16.

The Mushers earned a 2 seed by amassing 15,011 votes in our fall contests (including the championship round), while the Lava Bears earned a 9 seed with 75 votes.

Follow along: National Mascot Tournament 2023 Bracket

Voting for this matchup will conclude Wednesday, May 31, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

Editor's note: In the event of a tie, the team with the better seed will prevail based on the results of our fall mascot contest.

2. Camas County Mushers (Idaho)

It’s not Alaska, but Fairfield, Idaho (home of Camas County High School) does average over 60 inches of snow per year, and mushing is one efficient way to get around during winter in the rural town of 567 people.

9. Bend Lava Bears (Oregon)

A bear dripping with lava? Not quite. The lava bear is a legendary variety of black bear found in the lava beds of south central Oregon. The few “lava bears” that were killed or captured were a little larger than a badger. Today, it is acknowledged that lava bears never existed as a unique species. So although Small Bears would be more accurate, Lava Bears sounds way cooler.