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National high school mascot bracket, Round 1: Vote for Key Obezags or Wai'anae Seariders

Key (Maryland) is a 1 seed and Wai'anae (Hawaii) is a 16 seed in the first round

Mike Swanson

The Key Obezags (Maryland) take on the Wai'anae Seariders (Hawaii) in Round 1.
The Key Obezags (Maryland) take on the Wai'anae Seariders (Hawaii) in Round 1. / Graphic by Jesus Baca

The bracket is set for High School on SI's 2025 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 Key Obezags (Maryland) or the No. 16-seeded Wai'anae Seariders (Hawaii) to advance to the second round.

The winner will face either the Harpeth Hall Honeybears (Tennessee) or Columbia Hickman Kewpies (Missouri).

The Obezags earned a 1 seed by winning our statewide Maryland contest with 32,143 votes, while the Seariders won Hawaii with two votes to earn a 16 seed.

Follow along: National Mascot Tournament 2025 Bracket

Voting for this matchup will conclude Tuesday, March 25, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

High School on SI voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You are limited to one vote every 6 hours and are encouraged to share our polls with others.

1. Key Obezags (Maryland)

When the property on which the school was built was donated, it was filled with gazebos. The students voted and decided to spell gazebo backwards as their nickname. Not surprisingly, they’re the only Obezags in the country.

16. Wai’anae Seariders (Hawaii)

Wai’anae has one of the best high school logos in the country, with a mysterious, muscular, spear-toting warrior riding a shark. From the Wai’anae website: “The Searider is the official mascot of Wai'anae High School. A warrior of the ahupua'a, he is tasked with protecting the coastline."

National high school mascot bracket, Round 1: Vote for Key Obezags or Wai'anae Seariders
View Results

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

Published
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
MIKE SWANSON

Mike Swanson is the VP of Content for High School On SI. He's been in journalism since 2003, having worked as a reporter, city editor, copy editor and high school sports editor in California, Connecticut and Oregon.

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