Whirlies – Grimsley (NC) High School

The dictionary definition – adj. informal, “spinning or whirling” – isn’t helping us here very much.

Would you believe, though, that it’s actually short for “whirlwind”? Indeed, the team started out as the Purple Whirlwind, holding on to that nickname from 1920 to 1951. The evolution to Whirlies came from a number of possible sources:

• A simple nickname
• A shortened form used in newspaper titles
• A form used by journalists for elegant variation

An additional impetus was the team’s changing their colors from purple, which was hard to source, to navy blue.

The school itself was originally called Greensboro High School, and dates all the way back to 1899.  The name was changed in 1962 to honor original school superintendent George A. Grimsley. It also helped to distinguish it from what are now 4 high schools within the city limits.

It’s a large school, with over 1,900 students. Wikipedia lists 40 famous alumni, but I’ve heard of only one. Unfortunately, he’s a genuine nut case.

On the athletic side, the school has won more NC state championships than any other. Their first, for football, goes all the way back to 1907.

Their latest was in 2020-21

The actual, physical, on-field mascot is named Whirligig.

I probably don’t need to say much about Greensboro. With a population of 300,000, it’s the 3^rd largest city in NC.

Watchdogs – Beresford (SD) High School

Not exactly sure what they’re watching ...

Beresford is a town of 2,100, a little south of Sioux City. It dates back to 1873, and was originally called Paris. 

The name was later changed to honor Lord Charles Beresford, a British admiral. If that sounds a bit odd, maybe it would be helpful to know that English capitalists invested heavily in the area.

The town lists 5 notable people, including 1 governor (but, alas, no admirals). 

Beresford High School has 220 students, and features 6 sports. Baseball appears to be the only major sport that is missing.

Now, back to those watchdogs... Turns out the team was originally called the bulldogs. And that – according to Google AI, at least – was from a fan who frequently brought a bulldog named Muggles to the games.

The name was later changed to “watchdogs” to distinguish the team from all the other bulldogs out there. Indeed, bulldogs are the 4th most popular mascot in the country. Ironically, the physical manifestation of the Beresford mascot is … a bulldog.

The actual, physical, on-field mascot is named Roger, after another longtime fan.

Not sure if that’s the real Roger on the left

Wardens – Powell County High School (Deer Lodge, MT)

Well, I suppose they could’ve been the Criminals instead.

Deer Lodge is a city of 3,000 in a very central location in western Montana. It’s about an hour from the capital, Helena, about 30 minutes up I-90 from Butte & about 25 miles from Anaconda. 

Such a central location made the place ideal for the state hospital and also for the state prison. I guess Wardens would describe the head honcho at both places. 

Deer Lodge has 2 other notable sites:

• Grant-Kohrs Ranch, dating back to the days of the cattle barons
• The Old Prison, which also includes a theatre, cars, antiques, and an old locomotive

Deer Lodge was also important to Native Americans, a stop on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and a railroad and mining center.

The city is the county seat of Powell County, which itself has a population of almost 7,000. Some interestingly named communities in the county include Racetrack, Carpenters Bar & Wall City.

The high school dates back to 1903. Currently, it has about 185 students.  

It won its first (and only) state championship in 2005, in golf. It looks like it offers 10 different sports. Girls teams are, invariably, called the Lady Wardens.

Hard to believe, but you can actually get a Warden figurine online (Custom Period Costume Mascots):

Wamps – Braintree (MA) High School

Now, Wamps are bad enough. Put that together with Braintree, though …

So, what is a wamp? Well, it sounds like it:

• “Refers to a solution stack for the Microsoft Windows operating system”
• “Helps you find profitable products to sell on Walmart with smart, data-driven insights—powered by SellerAmp and tailored for success in the Walmart marketplace”
• “Is the friendly mini painting forum for all painting abilities”
• Stands for the Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors
• Are “web-footed creatures that are ‘spawned’ in dead cities and roam the graveyards of the upper regions of the Dreamlands” [in HP Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath]

Now, “Wamp” is also short for Wompatuck, a chief of the Massachusett tribe. And that’s where this particular Wamp came from.

Now, what is a Braintree? Easy. It’s a city of 39,000, just south of Boston. It dates back to 1640, and is named after Braintree, England (which simply means “Branoc’s tree”). It’s primarily known for its connection with the Founding Fathers, especially the Adams family. It was also the site of the murders that led to the Sacco & Vanzetti trial.

They were also in the LLWS this year

The high school dates back to 1858, and currently has about 1,675 students. Its teams have won state championships in girls soccer, girls basketball & dance. Notable people include the usual athletes and politicians, as well as Amy Bishop, a Harvard PhD and college professsor who opened fire at a department meeting, killing 3.

Seeing as we’re talking about the most liberal state in the nation, it shouldn’t be too surprising that the school is thinking about changing their mascot. Though actually voted through in 2020, the Wamps are still around, albeit with a new logo.

Voks – Lanier High School (San Antonio TX)

Hey, an AI hallucination:

Doing a little more traditional research, I found out that the mascot comes from Lanier being a vocational high school. 

Now, what does a Vok look like exactly? Well, it appears AI got it right this time: “The mascot is often a personified gear, emphasizing unity and strength through participation in the school community”:

Or even more scarily:

Lanier is actually Sidney Lanier, the Confederate poet. And, yes, there was such a thing as a Confederate poet. 

He’s actually a pretty interesting fellow. War-wise, he served as a private in the Confederate army, worked on a blockade runner, and was captured & imprisoned (catching the TB that would take his life at age 39). In addition, he was very musical (as flautist, organist & composer) and was also a teacher (including at Johns Hopkins).

Interestingly, he is the namesake of 14 schools (including 1 college), a couple of lakes, a county, an island, a bridge, a scholarship at UCLA, and lots more.

The high school dates back to 1915. Currently, it has about 1,550 students, and is 95% Latino. As for that last bit, it was the first high school in the US to offer classes in mariachi music.

Also along those same lines, the school’s 1939 boys basketball team made some history by beating the local all-white high school for the city championship. Their star was all of 5’1”.

San Antonio’s big enough to have its own NBA team, so I won’t say any more about it.

And also this place 

Villains – Bishop McGuiness High School (Kernersville NC)

According to the school’s website, “Our school mascot, ‘The Villain,’ comes from our early roots at the Villa Marie Anna Academy.” 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “villain” means “a low-born base-minded rustic; a man of ignoble ideas or instincts; in later use, an unprincipled or depraved scoundrel; a man naturally disposed to base or criminal actions, or deeply involved in the commission of disgraceful crimes.”

I’m actually pretty familiar with these guys. They’re rivals of my boys’ high school, Charlotte Catholic. 

BM’s Wikipedia page mentions four sports, along with the number of each’s state championships. Those include basketball (boys 6, girls 9), cross-country (boys 2, girls 3), tennis (boys 1) & volleyball (girls 0 - ?!?!). I see it doesn’t mention anything about football, though. Does it? Huh, losers?

Other than a pretty good athletic program, the school dates all the way back to 1959 and currently has about 455 students. If you couldn’t guess already, yes, it is indeed Catholic.

Kernersville is between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, in NC. It was settled in the mid 1700s, but incorporated only in 1873. Today, there are 26,500 inhabitants. 

Wikipedia lists 13 “notable people,” none of whom I’ve ever heard of. They do, though, include great names like Kemp Wicker, Turner Battle, DeLana Harvick & Ramelon O’Arwisters. In addition, Brent LaRue “represented Slovenia in the men's 400 meters hurdles at the 2012 Summer Olympics.”

Almost forgot … somehow or other this refugee from the Blue Man Group is their physical, on-field mascot:

Vendeens – Holy Family Academy (Manassas VA)

No, this is not a 60s girl group from Detroit. 

Instead, according to the school website: 

“The Vendeens were devout Catholics who bravely opposed the persecution of their Church and the assault on their cherished traditions during the tumultuous period of the French Revolution. Rising against the Revolutionary government in 1793, these simple yet courageous people stood firm in defense of their faith and liberty, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Above all, they defended their priests, who were hunted by the revolutionary armies.

Despite facing ruthless suppression and unimaginable atrocities, the Vendeens remained steadfast in their commitment to their Catholic beliefs and traditional values. Their unwavering resolve and sacrificial courage serve as a timeless testament to the enduring power of faith and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.”

The site shares this rather gory painting to illustrate:

Unfortunately, Vendeen is also the name of a dog and a sheep. So, when you Google it, you typically get stuff like this:

Or this:

It looks like the school punted when it comes to an actual mascot. This is the only possible representation I could find:

HFA is in Manassas, a suburb of DC. I grew up in the area, back when Manassas was a sleepy railroad town mostly known for its Civil War history. These days, it seems it’s mostly DC sprawl. Wikipedia lists a ton of “notable people,” but basketball star David Robinson (who attended high school – but not HFA – there) is the only one I recognize.

Interestingly, HFA is an independent Catholic school, meaning it is not sanctioned by the local bishop, nor is it accredited. It sounds like it’s super-Catholic, with obligatory attendance at daily mass, a very heavy anti-abortion message, an emphasis on “classical” education, etc. 

The school is 28 years old, and has about 240 students. It’s a K through 12, so I’m not sure if the 240 is for the high school or the whole shebang. Any way you look at it, it sounds pretty tiny. And that’s probably why what I could find on it is very limited. 

They do at least seem to offer all the regular sports though. The only major exception looks like football, which usually demands a pretty substantial student body.

I believe they call this “rugby”