Vote for best high school mascot in America, Round 1: Coalinga Horned Toads vs. Chattanooga Central Purple Pounders

Coalinga (California) is the 1 seed and Chattanooga Central (Tennessee) is the 16 seed in the South 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 Coalinga Horned Toads (California) or the No. 16-seeded Chattanooga Central Purple Pounders (Tennessee) to advance to the second round, where the winner will face either the Man Hillbillies (West Virginia) or Waterloo West Wahawks (Iowa).

The Horned Toads earned a 1 seed by winning last fall's California contest with 72,114 votes, while the Purple Pounders won Tennessee with just one vote to earn a 16 seed.

Follow along: National Mascot Tournament 2024 Bracket

Voting for this matchup will conclude Thursday, March 21, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

1. Coalinga Horned Toads (California)

Coalinga’s Horned Toad history goes back to 1935, when the first Horned Toad Derby was run in town. The event pits captured wild horned toads against one another in a race on a makeshift track, while Coalinga High School athletes compete on a more state-of-the-art track.

16. Chattanooga Central Purple Pounders (Tennessee)

Stan the Pounder Man wields some serious clout at Chattanooga Central sporting events — and a giant fake hammer. They became the Purple Pounders thanks to a 1935 football season in which they pounded the opposition, and Stan the Pounder Man commemorated Stan Farmer, a past principal who also coached a lot of dominant Chattanooga Central football teams. 

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