Vote now for best high school mascot in America, Round 2: Bend Lava Bears vs. Center Point-Urbana Stormin' Pointers
The bracket is updated for SBLive Sports' NCAA Tournament-style contest to determine the best high school mascot in America, and Round 2 is underway.
Vote below for the No. 9-seeded Bend Lava Bears (Oregon) or the No. 16-seeded Center Point-Urbana Stormin' Pointers (Iowa) to advance to the Sweet 16. The Lava Bears beat the Chinook Beeters (Montana) and the Stormin' Pointers upset the Shelley Russets (Idaho) in Round 1.
The Lava Bears earned a 9 seed with 75 votes in our fall contests, while the Stormin' Pointers earned a 16 seed with 19 votes.
Follow along: National Mascot Tournament 2023 Bracket
Voting for this matchup will conclude Friday, May 12, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
Editor's note: In the event of a tie, the team with the better seed will prevail based on the results of our fall mascot contest.
9. Bend Lava Bears (Oregon)
A bear dripping with lava? Not quite. The lava bear is a legendary variety of black bear found in the lava beds of south central Oregon. The few “lava bears” that were killed or captured were a little larger than a badger. Today, it is acknowledged that lava bears never existed as a unique species. So although Small Bears would be more accurate, Lava Bears sounds way cooler.
16. Center Point-Urbana Stormin’ Pointers (Iowa)
Would they have qualified simply as the Pointers? No. But Stormin’ Pointers wielding lightning bolts are an out-of-this-world force to be reckoned with.
