Ranking Delaware high school nicknames. Vikings, Bulldogs, Raiders galore in bottom 31
There are just 61 Delaware high schools with athletic teams and they go about their sporting business with determination and diligence while enjoying the fun and camaraderie.
Often, no matter what game they’re playing, athletes and the family, friends and alumni who follow them will refer to their teams not only by the school’s name but its nickname.
Whether they be Ravens or Raiders, Bulldogs or Buccaneers, Jaguars or Blue Jays, such monikers provide extra inspiration and motivation, instill pride, create character and become familiar reference points.
They also provide recognizable media-related identification and headline-writing verbage, whether it’s the Jaguars pouncing on the Cavaliers or the Hillers swatting the Hornets.
When a school has a costumed mascot, it adds to the sideline spirit that students and rooters enjoy.
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For a state as small as it is, Delaware does, however, suffer from a dearth of originality. Those 61 schools possess just 45 nicknames. Three nicknames are employed by three high schools each and 10 more by two apiece.
With all that in mind, Delaware Online/The News Journal has ranked those school nicknames from best to worst. This story focuses on the bottom 31. Check back Tuesday for the top 30.
We’ll also publish a bonus list later this week of the many high schools that no longer exist due to court-ordered busing, desegregation, consolidation, district downsizing, population shifts or financial trouble but might still stir fervor among alums.
What rates highest? Rarity and originality help, with alliteration and a connection with a school’s name also being beneficial. You may also notice a preference for one particular species when it comes to animal nicknames, though that may make a few readers snarl and hiss in return.
Here are those ranked 30th to 61st:
61. Salesianum Sals
The state’s biggest winner of state championships is the loser when it comes to nicknames because it doesn't really have one.
60. Indian River Indians
Redundancy rules here, plus this nickname isn’t too in vogue anymore.
59. Tower Hill Hillers
Yeah, we know, there’s a hill.
58. Charter School of Wilmington Force
Singular nicknames are annoying and this is the state’s only one, fortunately. But the school’s mascot dressed as a calculator is clever.
57. Saint Andrew’s School Saints
Cardinals has also been used as a nickname for St. Andrew’s teams, which is much better than the redundant moniker it has long preferred.
56. Early College School of DSU Hornets
Having a nickname different from Delaware State’s might have been worthwhile, but because baby hornets are simply called “larvae,” it’s good they didn’t go there.
55. Ursuline Raiders
Has always seemed an odd name for an all-girls Catholic School despite its very proud sports tradition.
54. Delmarva Christian Royals
Not sure what crowned heads were involved in this school’s christening.
53. St. Elizabeth Vikings
We have enough Vikings and Saint Elizabeth wasn’t one.
52. Cape Henlopen Vikings
Lewes, Delaware’s first town where Cape Henlopen is located, was settled by the Dutch, not Scandinavian seafarers on the nearby Atlantic Ocean.
51. First State Military Academy Bulldogs
Laurel and Brandywine had it first and second.
50. Wilmington Christian Warriors
Sanford had it first.
49. Saint Mark’s Spartans
Lake Forest had it first.
48. Caravel Buccaneers
Milford had it first.
47. Brandywine Bulldogs
Laurel had it first.
46. Freire Charter Dragons
Glasgow had it first.
45. Concord Raiders
Concord adopted this nickname, and a nifty emblem with a Colonial militiaman, two years before the school even opened in 1969.
44. Woodbridge Blue Raiders
Woodbridge gets the edge over late 1960s contemporary Concord for giving its Raiders a shade.
43. Sanford Warriors
Never a mistake to stamp your sports teams with a nickname that promotes a spirited fight.
42. Lake Forest Spartans
Ancient Greek warriors do make for a proud nickname though there is no record of them roaming central Kent County.
41. Red Lion Lions
Repetitive and obvious, but still a fine and ferocious cat.
40. Milford Buccaneers
Pillaging and plundering earned these off-shore robbers plenty of school nickname emulation.
39. Sussex Central Golden Knights
See Mount Pleasant.
38. Mount Pleasant Green Knights
Being armored for mounted jousts is better with a colorful adjective.
37. Aspira Wolves
They have sharp teeth and they snarl and growl. Perfect.
36. Newark Charter Patriots
Would rank higher if it wasn’t the same as a certain irritating NFL team that also has the identical red and blue colors.
35. Delaware Valley Classical School Titans
Derived from Greek mythology, the titan lasts as an all-powerful nickname.
34. Laurel Bulldogs
This jowly canine earns much-deserved status as a popular school sobriquet.
33. St. Georges Hawks
These frequently spotted woodland wonders make for fine school figures.
32. Christiana Vikings
The town of Christiana was named after the nearby Christina River, which honors the Swedish queen, so these are easily the state’s top-rated Vikings. Bonus points also for the time 30-some years ago when football coach Bill Muehleisen had somebody dressed as a Viking ride onto Tom Coder Field before a big game and throw a spear into the ground.
31. Middletown Cavaliers
Sword-wielding horsemen, descended from 17th-century England, make their way to Middletown.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Ranking bottom 31 nicknames of Delaware high schools
