What if? A look at a region's high school teams

[Seadragon76]

I know a lot of you guys don't really care about another area's high school teams. But, my local paper has started on a project called the 'Great Mascot Debate'.

There are 15 schools in the area, so the sports editor and a friend of his, an artist (who is the AD at one of the schools) have taken on the project of recreating some of the dated looks.

First off was Wahkiakum (Cathlamet).. They're the Mules, so you have the current logo on one side and the updated attempt by the artist on the other.

Next up is Kelso... one of the two main cities here, the Hilanders (or Lassies for the female teams) are a well known nickname in the area.

Next up is the Longview schools... Mark Morris and R.A. Long.

The latest one is Naselle. This small town is near the Long Beach area and it's also the first one to have a new nickname in the creation process.

[Dynasty]

I want to like the Mules' new logo, but the crookedness is bothering me too much.

[Seadragon76]

I want to like the Mules' new logo, but the crookedness is bothering me too much.

Like I said, these aren't new logos... they're 'What if' scenarios. What if these schools had new logos.

I can understand the crookedness being an issue, but the guys felt that having something that resembled a 'W' would be a good thing.

[sozopol]

That's a pretty great terrier

[Seadragon76]

Next up is Winlock and Toledo. These two rivals face off every year in the 'Battle of the Cowlitz'. These two rivals even share a team in boys' soccer. There is also the festival angle as Winlock hosts 'Egg Days' while Toledo has "Cheese Days'.

Alas, there are no nickname changes here.

[the_grateful_ted]

Which is the new one? Cause the bottom one is the Louisville Cardinal logo

[Seadragon76]

Which is the new one? Cause the bottom one is the Louisville Cardinal logo

The one on top is the new logo. And yes, the logo Winlock is using is pretty much the cardinal logo Louisville is using. I guess I should explain what their thinking was on the new looks.

Wahkiakum: Mules is a very original nickname, but the current logo is outdated (not to mention that mules are more associated with stubbornness). So, the idea was give a subtle hint of the name while adding in the 'W' in the logo

Kelso: Hilanders (yes, that's how it's spelled) is one of the most unique nicknames in the state... it harkens back to the fact that Kelso is pretty much Scottish by name and blood. So, the logo could go in many directions. But, they chose the Scottish Terrier for two reasons: A late broadcaster's call ("Scottie Dogs... You gotta love it!") and the fact that they are dog people.

Longview: R.A Long and Mark Morris (the 'Civil War' if you will) is all about perception. With R.A. Long, the axes are a liked feature, but the current look is too cluttered. So, the logo is simplified to showcase them. Add a stump in the background and there you go. Mark Morris has used knock offs recently (the current look is a Michigan styled 'M' and a few years ago, the football team was pretty much a Tennessee Titans ripoff). But, they have a logo on the center of the court and on the gym itself, so why not use that? Add a crown and there you go.

Naselle: The only one of the 15 teams with a nickname change (so far) and a small amount of conflict between the two. The artist went with the name change from Comets to Thunder. This name comes from the fact that Naselle was a Finnish community. Looking into a way to tie it in, he came across Ukko, the Finnish god of thunder (AKA Finnish Thor). This was the inspiration for the look. If you look close enough, the texture on the hammer has 'Comets' on it over and over again. The editor is not for the name change because the new nickname brings back bad memories of how the Sonics were sold to two 'carpetbaggers' (his words, not mine) and moved to Oklahoma City. A diehard Suns fan, any reference to the nickname reminds him for 40 years of friendly rivalry thrown away.

Lewis County: While the nicknames (Cardinals and Indians) aren't exactly unique, the artist has too much respect for the names to make radical changes (The editor suggested that the nicknames should change for both: Winlock would go from Cardinals to Red Hens and Toledo would go from Indians to Cheesemakers). In the case of Toledo, there are many way to depict an Indian, some of which is very non-PC (they have a Chief Wahoo knock off on the baseball diamond). But, the current logo of two feathers dangling off of a circled 'T' works out. So, he takes that, adds an arrowhead and gives the 'T' some texture and there you go. Winlock is the opposite: You can't really do much with Cardinals. There's the famous logo of the St. Louis Cardinals, but that's a sport specific look. You have what Arizona is doing or just stick with the Louisville rip off... instead, the winged 'W' here is a different take on a common nickname.

[the_grateful_ted]

Ahhh this was a huge help! Well the move to NOT change Indians and cardinals was a GREAT move. Those proposed nicknames are pretty terrible. The new Indians one is probably the best upgrade in opinion

[razorback447]

That Hilanders logo is fantastic. They would be crazy not to upgrade to that one.

[MJWalker45]

I want to like the Mules' new logo, but the crookedness is bothering me too much.

Like I said, these aren't new logos... they're 'What if' scenarios. What if these schools had new logos.

I can understand the crookedness being an issue, but the guys felt that having something that resembled a 'W' would be a good thing.

He'd have to explain that. i don't see a W within those horseshoes.

[Seadragon76]

So you don't see a 'W' with the two horseshoes there? Oh well.

Time for a new edition... Today, they head into Volcano Country.

Toutle Lake: Facing the prospect of changing the logo (and possibly the nickname) was something the artist wasn't willing to do as he, and any Oregon fan out there, realize that the ornery face of one Donald Duck best represents the spirit of 'fowl' intentions. That it's not at Autzen Stadium now is kinda of a shame... but, enough about Oregon. They suggested a mascot change from Ducks to Volcanoes, which makes sense since Toutle itself is connected to the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980. But, they realized that it wasn't right: Not only would it require a color scheme change (A huge no-no for this project), they also noted that a walking volcano mascot would look really, really dumb (like Stanford Tree dumb... to which I say why not go the Iowa State route here: Have a Duck mascot to represent the Volcanoes). In the end, the artist decided to updates the 'TL' design rather then overhaul the duck.

Castle Rock: Named after a volcanic rock outcropping on the south side of town, Volcanoes would also be a good option for a nickname, and the color scheme fits (Just add black), but cooler heads prevailed (sorry). The current nickname, Rockets, is one of a kind in the state, despite the lack of actual Rockets or anything to do with aerospace in the area. So, when it came to update the logo, the artist married the school letters and the rocket to create this.