Orphans – Centralia (IL) High School

So, that’s what an orphan looks like, huh?

Centralia is actually not all that central. The town of 12,000 is in southern Illinois. It was actually named after the Illinois Central RR, way back in 1859.

Centralia has a couple of claims to fame. For one, it used to produce the PayDay candy bar. Second, it was the site of a terrible mining disaster, with 111 casualties. The town also has its own philharmonic, hosts a Balloon Fest, and is also the site of a state prison. An odd collection of facts, I know.

Plus this tower thing

Of their 28 “notable people” on Wikipedia, I actually know a couple. Do note, though, that that does not include Ora A. Oldfield, Dottie Wham, and Smiley Quick.

Smiley was a golfer

The high school has over 800 students. On the athletic side, it was the first high school in Illinois to win 2,000 games (in basketball).

Now, about that mascot … Turns out it originated in the 1940s when a sportswriter commented that the team looked like orphans because of their mismatched uniforms. Previously, the team was known as the Cardinals, Redbirds, and Troutmen.

I have no idea about that last one. A quick search on Google Images gives me lots of pix with fish and fishermen, but also a bunch for a Swedish rock band,

By the way, the Orphans are only for the boys teams. The girls are called the Annies.

Finally, the Orphans were once voted Most Unique Mascot in the country by USA Today.

Noises – Nathan Hale-Ray High School (Moodus CT)

Well, I guess they coulda been the Smells.

So, would you believe that “the Moodus area is known for its low-level seismic activity, so the high school is the Noises — meant to underscore strange, underground rumblings”? That’s from Sport Illustrated, so I know it’s true.

Moodus is a census-designated place of not quite 2,000. It dates back to 1662, when Puritans bought the land from the Indians. The latter called it Matchitmoodus, “the place of the noises.” The noises supposedly come from seismic activity. They’re actually featured in H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror.”

The town is also famous for twine. Yup, you heard me right. Twine. Back in the 1800s, there were no less than 12 twine mills in operation in the town. At the time, Moodus was known as the “Twine Capital of the World.”

The high school has about 260 students. They’ve got 13 sports, including “unified sports” (???) and “co-op football” (they play with another high school).

 

C’mon, Moodus! Let’s make some noise!

Nimrods – Watersmeet (MI) High School

According to the school, a “nimrod” is a mighty hunter, from a reference in the Bible. According to Merriam-Webster, a “nimrod” is an “idiot, jerk.” Google AI clears it up for us: “The name Nimrod originally referred to a successful hunter, but over time it became an insult.” It doesn’t explain why though.

It has nothing to do with this

But why the hunter thing? It does sound like that’s a big thing thereabouts. The town is in the middle of the Ottawa National Forest, and about as rural as it gets.

Watersmeet’s in the UP, right on the border with Wisconsin. It’s got about 1,500 people, including the whole Lac Vieux Desert Indian Reservation (Ojibwe). The rez has its own casino and golf course.

The school has about 75 students, and is about 70% Native American. Sportswise, they’ve got basketball, 8-man football, soccer, softball, volleyball, and wrestling.

So, it actually appears that these guys are famous. They’ve been:

• The subject of a Sundance Channel documentary, Nimrod Nation
• In an ESPN commercial (“Without sports, who would cheer for the Nimrods?”)
• On the Jay Leno show

The mascot dates all the way back to the 1930s. Sounds like they’ve made more than a half million on merch.

Mushers – Camas County High School (Fairfield ID)

Yes, it is cold up there. No, they do not have sled dogs. Yes, this is Idaho. No, that’s different from Alaska. Yes, this mascot doesn’t necessarily make that much sense.

Camas County has only about 1,000 people, though it is located in the center of the state. Fairlfield’s the county seat, and has about a quarter of the county’s population (410 people). It looks very pretty there:

Further, it sounds like there’s a lot of fun things to do. I’m talking skiing (Sun Valley is pretty close by), fly fishing, kayaking, mountain biking … The Sawtooth Scenic Byway, supposedly one of the prettiest drives in the US, is also nearby.

Looks like the high school has only 66 students. Somehow or other, they managed to win three state titles in girls volleyball and one in boys basketball. 

Real Dairy Shootout?

And they also have a football team! Looks like it’s one of those 8-men-per-side deals.

I’m sure it’s no-cut too.