Top 5 high school mascots in New Hampshire: Vote for the best

From Blackbirds to Pythons, meet the best high school mascots in New Hampshire

Keene High School in New Hampshire used to share the same Blackbirds mascot as LIU Brooklyn, which is now known as the Sharks. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Blackbirds singing in the dead of night might be part of a high school choir in New Hampshire.

High school mascot fans can confirm that would be Keene High School near the Massachusetts border.

Over the next couple of months, SBLive/SI will be featuring the best high school mascots in every state, giving readers a chance to vote for No. 1 in all 50.

The winners and highest vote-getters will make up the field for our NCAA Tournament-style March Mascot Madness bracket in 2025. The Coalinga Horned Toads (California) are the defending national champions.

Here are High School on SI's top 5 high school mascots in New Hampshire (vote in the poll below to pick your favorite):

The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. ET Friday, Jan. 10.

1. Blackbirds (Keene HS)

If Paul McCartney transferred from Liverpool to a U.S. high school as a teenager, Keene would have been an inspiring destination. The school’s blackbird mascot looks like it could give cartoon magpies Hekyll and Jekyll a run for their money.

2. Engineers (Woodsville HS)

Woodsville opened in the late 1800s, and athletes for several years were called Woodsvilleites and wore green and orange uniforms. Both changed in the 1940s, when the school switched its colors to green and white to align with Dartmouth College, and its mascot changed to the Engineers in honor of Woodsville's roots as a railroad town.

3. Hillcats (Hillsboro-Deering HS)

A combination of a bobcat and a lynx, these are the only Hillcats in the nation among high schools. The red cat in Hillsboro-Deering’s logo is definitely not one you’d ever want to try to pet.

4. Little Green (Manchester Central HS)

Believe it or not, the Little Green used to be red. After the start of the 20th century, Concord and Manchester Central, which were both crimson red, decided that the winner of a league championship would keep its colors. Concord won, and Manchester Central chose forest green as its new color. Little Green came about as a counterpart to Dartmouth College, which is the Big Green.

5. Pythons (Pelham HS)

Pythons aren’t native to New Hampshire or anywhere in North America, but Pelham is among five U.S. high schools that use the nickname. What makes Pelham's Pythons stand out is the school's assortment of superior logos, most of which incorporate a blue-and-white python wrapping around a blue-and-white P.

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