AJC Varsity
Cobras, Comets and Atom Smashers: 51 truly unique Georgia HS football mascots
Where can you find the Syrupmakers or the Red Jackets?
Colquitt County players (who call themselves the Packers) run through their Packer hog banner before their game against Mill Creek at Mill Creek Community Stadium, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Hoschton. (Oscar Guevara Saenz for the AJC)
By Todd Holcomb
1 hour agoThere are 413 football teams playing in the Georgia High School Association this season. Only 51 of them have unique nicknames.
While Bulldogs (27 teams), Tigers (23), Eagles (21) and Panthers (20) top the list as most common, here are the mascots that are one-of-a-kind in GHSA football.
- Aggies– Southwest Georgia STEM Charter (Shellman)
- Angoras – Clarkston High School (Clarkston)
- Astros– Douglass High School (Atlanta)
- Atom Smashers – Johnson High School (Savannah)
- Battle Creek Warriors – Tattnall County High School (Reidsville)
- Bearcats – Bainbridge High School (Bainbridge)
- Black Knights – Central Gwinnett High School (Lawrenceville)
- Blazers – Baconton Charter (Baconton)
- Bluejackets – Savannah High School (Savannah)
- Blue Tide – Long County High School (Ludowici)
- Bruins – Northwest Whitfield (Tunnel Hill)
- Bulldoggs – Winder-Barrow High School (Winder)
- Cadets – Benedictine Military School (Savannah)
- Catamounts – Dalton High School (Dalton)
- Cherokees — Kendrick High School (Columbus)
- Cobras – Twiggs County High School (Jeffersonville)
- Colonels – Cass High School (White)
- Colts – Coahulla Creek High School (Dalton)
- Comets – South Gwinnett High School (Snellville)
- Danes – Denmark High School (Alpharetta)
- Demons – Warner Robins High School (Warner Robins)
- Gamecocks – Screven County High School (Sylvania)
- Gators – Ware County High School (Waycross)
- Golden Bears – Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (Atlanta)
- Golden Eagles – Eagle’s Landing High School (McDonough)
- Golden Lions – St. Pius X Catholic High School (Atlanta)
- Golden Tornadoes – Monroe Comprehensive High School (Albany)
- Grangers – LaGrange High School (LaGrange)
- Grizzlies – Creekview High School (Canton)
- Gryphons – ACE Charter (Macon)
- Herons – Brantley County High School (Nahunta)
- Hoyas – Harrison High School (Kennesaw)
- Huskies – Howard High School (Macon)
- Leopards – Banks County High School (Homer)
- Mountaineers – North Murray High School (Chatsworth)
- Musketeers – Richmond Academy (Augusta)
- Owls – Spencer High School (Columbus)*
- Packers – Colquitt County High School (Moultrie)
- Paladins – Fellowship Christian School (Roswell)
- Purple Hurricane – Fitzgerald High School (Fitzgerald)
- Cartersville and Monroe Area are the Purple Hurricanes, with an S on the end
- Ramblers – LaFayette High School (LaFayette)
- Razorbacks – Cross Creek High School (Augusta)
- Red Elephants – Gainesville High School (Gainesville)
- Red Jackets – Jordan High School (Columbus)
- Red Terrors – Glynn Academy (Brunswick)
- Royals – Bleckley County High School (Cochran)
- Saints - Cedar Grove High School (Ellenwood)
- Screaming Devils – Warren County High School (Warrenton)
- Sharks – Islands High School (Savannah)
- Storm – Providence Christian School (Lilburn)
- Syrupmakers – Cairo High School (Cairo)
*Spencer sometimes is referred to as the Greenwave or Greenwave Owls. Similarly, Terrell County is the Greenwave or Greenwave Eagles, but there are 21 Eagles in GHSA football.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
