Wyoming: Last but definitely not least in the land of mascots

The end is nigh. Actually, the end is here. After two and a half months crisscrossing the nation in search of each state's most unique mascot, Prep Rally has finally run out of states. We know, you're even more relieved than we are.

Still, we have to finish with a flourish, and it's hard to imagine a better slate of unique mascots than the one in Wyoming to round out America's best prep sporting nicknames.

There are a number of schools who could stake a claim to play as the top mascot in Wyoming, but none are more compelling than the Punchers. Fittingly, the Punchers hail from Pinedale (Wyo.) Big Piney High, a school and town name as flamboyant as the mascot itself.

In fact, the Punchers are short for Cowpunchers, a nickname for Cowboys. That's fabulous, because there are far too many Cowboys in the country, and not nearly enough Punchers.

Other Great Wyoming Mascots of Note:

Arapaho (Wyo.) Charter is located directly on the Wind River Indian Reservation, so it's fitting that the school would have strong overtones of Native American culture with its sports teams.

By playing as the Arapaho Nation, the school presents both a unified front and a tie to the institution's unique curriculum, including courses in Arapaho language, history and culture.

Don't be confused by the Newcastle (Wyo.) High mascot. As noted by MaxPreps, the Dogies are not actually dogs. They're cows. Yes, cows. That's because Dogies are actually young motherless cows in a herd. Just like the ones in roundups on Rawhide, the classic television show.

Of course Wyoming features mascots that are nicknames of both cowboys and cows. What else could we expect for one of the most colorful states in the union?

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