Vote for best high school mascot in America, Round 1: Hollister Haybalers vs. Haines Glacier Bears

Hollister (California) is the 1 seed and Haines (Alaska) is the 16 seed in the East region

The bracket is set for SBLive Sports' 2024 NCAA Tournament-style contest to determine the best high school mascot in America, and Round 1 is underway.

Vote below for the No. 1-seeded Hollister Haybalers (California) or the No. 16-seeded Haines Glacier Bears (Alaska) to advance to the second round, where the winner will face either the Colon Magi (Michigan) or Orofino Maniacs (Idaho).

The Haybalers earned a 1 seed by piling up 55,017 votes in last fall's California contest, while the Glacier Bears won Alaska with two votes to earn a 16 seed.

Follow along: National Mascot Tournament 2024 Bracket

Voting for this matchup will conclude Wednesday, March 20, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

1. Hollister Haybalers (California)

More commonly referred to as the ‘Balers, their pitchfork-wielding mascot looks straight out of a bucolic horror movie. Hollister is an agricultural area neighboring Gilroy (the garlic capital of the world), and the pair’s annual rivalry football game against each other is called the Prune Bowl. 

16. Haines Glacier Bears (Alaska)

Haines didn’t just arbitrarily throw a “Glacier” in front of one of sports’ most common nicknames just for the heck of it. Glacier bears are grayish bears unique to Southeast Alaska, bearing a genetic history influenced by the region’s glaciation. Spotting one in the wild would count as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

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