Best high school mascot in Rhode Island: Top 5 candidates

From Oakers to Kilties, meet the best high school mascots in Rhode Island

No one can rile up a crowd like a North Kingstown Skipper wearing a yellow slicker, and no state other than Rhode Island pits Oakers against Kilties.

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 Rhode Island poll posted Nov. 18 on highschool.si.com and will stay open through Nov. 25:

Vote: Which is the best high school mascot in Rhode Island?

Here are the top 5 high school mascots in Rhode Island:

Coventry Oakers

The school’s full nickname is the Knotty Oakers, but it’s usually shortened to Oakers. The original high school was built near the corner of Knotty Oak Road, the location of a large oak tree that was a local landmark. And since an oak tree doesn’t seem like a terrific candidate as a physical mascot, Coventry went with an elephant.

East Providence Townies

East Providence High School opened in 1884, when East Providence was more “town” than “city,” so the school’s mascot became the Townies. Now the fifth-largest city in the state, residents love its small-town feel, and the high school mascot — which looks like a more blue-collar version of Waldo — might have something to do with that.

Mt. Pleasant Kilties

These are the only Kilties in the U.S., and there's no physical mascot like it either, as you can see above. The story goes that "Kilties" came about in a roundabout way since Mt. Pleasant High School was built on a hill. A hill is akin to highlands, and highlands are common in Scotland. Thus, Kilties.

North Kingstown Skippers

These aren’t the only Skippers in the country, but there’s no mascot like it at U.S. high school sporting events. A student dresses up in a yellow slicker and hat and goes bonkers on the sidelines to rile the fans up.

Woonsocket Villa Novans

Villa Nova means "new town" in Latin, but what's interesting about the only Villa Novans in the country is that the Villanova most people are familiar with is in Pennsylvania, not Rhode Island. But the Woonsocket Villa Novans make it work anyway.

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