Best high school mascot in Montana: Top 10 candidates

From Big Horns to Copperheads to Wardens, meet the best high school mascots in Montana

Montana is loaded with wilderness and wildlife, and the state's high school mascots celebrate what Big Sky Country has to offer.

And in an astounding display of inclusivity, not only are Big Horns (sheep) represented — so are Sheepherders.

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 Montana poll posted Oct. 31 on highschool.si.com and will stay open through Nov. 7:

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

Here are the top 10 high school mascots in Montana:

Anaconda Copperheads

The Anaconda Anacondas seems so obvious, so why not the Copperheads? After all, there are no anacondas or copperheads in Montana, and the Anaconda Common Gartersnakes wouldn't strike much fear in opponents.

Belfry Bats

You’ve probably heard the expression “bats in the belfry,” and Belfry High School has Bats all over the premises. Not only does the mascot play off a popular expression (though the expression refers to someone acting kind of crazy), but there are bell towers in town where bats often live.

Chinook Beeters

Yes, the Beeters want to beat you, but their nickname is short for the Sugarbeeters. Chinook is one of the main producers of sugarbeets in the upper plains.

East Helena Vigilantes

East Helena opened less than five years ago, becoming the only Vigilantes in the country among U.S. high schools. The logo is a mysterious-looking character who looks straight out of an old Western.

Hot Springs Savage Heat

For many years, the mascot was simply "Savages," but in the wake of a 2000 Tribal Council Resolution denouncing the use of Native Americans as mascots, the Hot Springs school board agreed in 2007 to change the temperature and rename the team Savage Heat.

Lone Peak Big Horns

This relatively new school (it opened in 2009) near Big Sky Resort has the only Big Horns in the country in high school sports. Bighorn sheep are abundant in the surrounding mountains.

Nashua Porcupines

Porcupines are found year-round all over Montana, but Nashua is the only school in the state to choose the spiny rodent as its mascot.

North Toole County Refiners

Sunburst, Montana (home of North Toole County High School) for years was a farming community, but upon the discovery of oil, a refinery was built in town. In the 1970s, oil development ceased and the town returned to its agricultural roots, but the high school has retained the area’s oil history by calling themselves the Refiners (complete with a refinery as its logo).

Powell County Wardens

Powell County High School is in Deer Lodge, home of the Montana State Prison. Jim Salmonsen is the prison warden, but there are Wardens all over the county.

Sweet Grass County Sheepherders

Sweet Grass County High School honors the role the sheep industry played in the development of the county by being the only school in the country with Sheepherders as its mascot. Its logo is a bearded man (presumably a sheepherder) smoking a corn-cob pipe.

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