In New York, a headless horseman high school football tradition lives: 'It's a big part of who we are'

Sleepy Hollow High School in the Hudson Valley has a unique, long-running mascot tradition

The Headless Horseman made an appearance during the inaugural Sleepy Hollow Music Festival held at Kingsland Point Park in the village, June 8, 2024. / Mark Vergari/Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As legend goes, at least according to a popular 1820s short story, the village of Sleepy Hollow is graced by the presence of a headless horseman, the ghost of a solider from the Revolutionary War, who haunts the town in ghostly form in search of his missing head.

On nights where Sleepy Hollow High School hosts home football games in the village some 30 miles upstate from Manhattan, the storied tale lives on.

The high school has a pregame tradition where its mascot, a literal headless horseman, leads the team onto the gridiron before home football games, bringing the early 19th century hyperlocal lore to life in the name of school spirit.

Footage of the tradition from the pregame before Sleepy Hollow's 29-6 win over Hendrick Hudson on Saturday spread across social media.

"It’s been a fun couple of days," Sleepy Hollow athletic director Mike Arias said. "Definitely gotten a lot of attention. This has been going on for a long time."

Before each home game, Arias teams up with the football program's booster club to coordinate with a real equestrian. Since the headless horsemen tradition is celebrated in other ways around town, Arias said there are multiple horsemen in his rolodex.

The tradition dates back to American author Washington Irving's popular short story from 1820, which long precedes Arias' five years at the helm of the school's athletic department.

The story has been reworked and adapted over the years, from a 1920s silent film, to a Disney animation in the 1940s, to Tim Burton's 1999 gothic horror film Sleepy Hollow, wherein Johnny Depp plays the titular Ichabod Crane.

"It’s super unique," Arias said. "I think we have the most unique mascot in the country — arguably. No other school in the country has it. And it’s a big part of who we are from an identity standpoint from our community, our school district. Most people know the legend of Sleepy Hollow. So its super cool."

The Horsemen (1-1) are back in action on Saturday on the road at Croton-Harmon and return home next on Oct. 10 to host Westlake.

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-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports