Greenup County High School was formed by combining three different high schools, Greenup, Wurtland, and Mckell, starting in the 1973-1974 school year. They were given the nickname the Musketeers, and the quote of "all for one, and one for all", to symbolize the three schools coming together. At one time, the sign outside of the school had the three musketeers on it, with a G on one's belt buckle, an M on the 2nd one, and a W on the 3rd, paying homage to the three original schools. The school colors of green, black, and gold, we're adopted by choosing one color from each of the former schools, green from Greenup, black from Wurtland, and gold from Mckell.

 

And our fight song is the Buckeye Battle Cry, from OSU, unfortunately.

University of California uses Highlands Fight Song....:clap:

Highlands Nickname use to be the Blue Devils. Then they realized that Henry521 hated Duke so they changed it.....

The story about how Somerset came to be the Briar Jumpers is a great one. I'll let one of the locals tell it.

 

The story came from when Somerset traveled to Louisville to take on heavily favored Louisville Boys High School and pulled a stunning upset back in 1916. Here's what we print in the programs:

 

The Somerset High School Team that took the field on that Saturday in October 1916, was optimistic, even though they had been greeted by 700 fans of the Louisville High School, with accompanying good nature jeers and shouted predictions of the gruesome fate they were going to encounter. The Louisville Boys High School had established an impressive record and was predicted to win the game by several touchdowns. Much to blue-clad Louisville's surprise, that purple and gold Somerset team showed NO MERCY. When the last play had been played, and that last whistle sounded, the score board displayed the unbelievable score of SOMERSET 51, LOUISVILLE 6. The tale of that days events were fully described in Louisville papers for days to come. The story, told in simple terms, is that a certain young man by the name of "Gooch", a sorrel topped mountaineer by the name of "Roberts", and a fully mature Irishman by the name of "McMillan" created high school football history on the banks of the Ohio. Louisville sportswriters were knocking themselves out trying to describe the drubbing that was perpetrated. One writer, Mr. Johnny Head, who had fully recovered from the shock, was frantically searching for some previous occurrence with which to compare the extraordinary athletic speed and skill used to evade Louisville tacklers. That is when he remembered the story of Uncle Remus, the briar patch, and the elusive ways the Somerset team had of getting around or evading, obstructions. He also remembered the expression "Bawn and bred in de briar patch". Immediately he christened the Somerset team "Briar Jumpers" because they too were quick, swift-footed, masters of evading obstructions - and "Briar Jumpers" at home in their "Briar Patch" it has been ever since.

I have no idea if this is true, but i was told that Scott High School got its colors (Blue and Gray) by combining the colors of the two existing schools in the county, Simon Kenton (blue) and Dixie (gray). No idea where the eagle came from.

Conner High School opened in 1970 in Hebron.

 

The Conner family donated the land. If you're from NKY, former Ryle QB Conner Hempel's mother Colleen is a Conner and it was her grandparents who donated the land.

 

As to "Cougar" I'm guessing it's nothing more than alliteration.

Conner High School opened in 1970 in Hebron.

 

The Conner family donated the land. If you're from NKY, former Ryle QB Conner Hempel's mother Colleen is a Conner and it was her grandparents who donated the land.

 

As to "Cougar" I'm guessing it's nothing more than alliteration.

 

Maybe Conner Hempels Grandma was a cougar

Pike Central Hawks were formed by combining Johns Creek High School & Mullins High School for the 1994 school year. Johns Creeks colors were blue and white & the mascot was the Bearcats, while Mullins colors were Orange & White & the mascot was the Tigers.

 

I remember submitting & voting on a list of mascots for the new school, but when it came to colors, they took the dominant color from each of the schools & made blue & orange the school colors. The Hawk won the contest.

 

Consolidation has robbed many of those rivalries in many areas, but Pike County has been hit the worst in my opinion.

 

Virgie High School & Dorton High School = Shelby Valley took Virgies colors of Blue & White & Dortons Wildcat mascot for the new school.

 

Johns Creek High School & Mullins High School = Pike Central, explained that one above.

 

Millard High School, Feds Creek High School & Elkhorn City = East Ridge cleaned the slate & started from scratch on this one, Millard was Brown & Yellow & were the Mustangs, Feds Creek was Gold Yellow & Dark Blue & were the Vikings Elkhorn City were Blue & Yellow & were the Cougars. East Ridge is Baby Blue & Black if I am not mistaken & are the Warriors

 

Belfry & Phelps are off to themselves in the far corners of the county, Belfry is fine, poor Phelps has nobody close now.

 

Pikeville Independent is right @ the outskirts of the city just a few miles from Pike Central.

 

Hellier High School, home of the Hellcats closed in the 60's to become Millard High School. Has to be the best mascot name ever in the state of Kentucky. Not sure if another school was consolidated with them or if they just closed that building and opened another school with a different name, it was done long before I was born.

Edited October 9, 201510 yr by Johnny_Utah
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All of these are very interesting stories. Good reading.

Raceland used to be called the "Ramblers" because they had no home basketball court or football field, they played all their games on the road, Ramblers. Later, after building a gym and a football field the name was shortened to just "Rams". Over the years, there have been a few times when the basketball team returned to the "Ramblers" name and had it printed on their jerseys.

 

Colors, I'm not sure about, but I heard once that the two cities that make up the Raceland School District: Raceland and Worthington, used to have their own community football teams and Worthington was black and white, and Raceland was Orange and white and when the school adopted the athletic teams, they chose Black, Orange and White as the school colors.

 

Ramblers is like the coolest mascot ive ever heard of.... how do you ever change that to something as pedestrian as the rams...????

 

They could have put a pair of dice or something on the helmet.

Todd County Central is known as the Rebels and was picked to honor Jefferson Davis, who was born in Fairview on the Todd County-Christian County line. The red and grey colors were picked probably because it was the standard uniform colors of a Confederate soldier. I think as a compromise, Christian County opened at the same time and picked the nickname of the Colonels.