Morton High School is set to unveil the best alternate helmet in high school football for this weekend’s Pumpkin Festival. They’re pretty awesome!
Morton, located just outside of Peoria, Illinois, has a total population of just under 20,000. It is a small working suburb that proudly boasts the title of “Pumpkin Capital of the World” because 85% of the world’s canned pumpkin is produced in town.
Each year, on the second week of September, Morton holds the Morton Pumpkin Festival. It started in 1967 and welcomes more than 75,000 visitors over the course of the weekend.
Typically, Morton High School’s mascot is ‘The Potters,’ which is incredible on its own. Prior to its focus on canned pumpkin, Morton housed the largest kiln pottery industry west of New York City.
Clay the Potter (get it, Clay) is awesome.
Here is the cartoon mascot:
Here is the live mascot:
Unfortunately, Morton’s football helmets do not reflect the school’s incredible mascot. They are essentially just Ohio State replicas— grey, with a red and black stripe down the middle. No logo decal. No Potters.
It’s a real shame that Clay isn’t on the helmet.
However, the Potters are making up for it on Friday night with a new look. They’re rolling out some new decals for the Pumpkin Festival that turn the lids into Jack-o’-lanterns.
Morton is currently 3-0 on the young season by a combined score of 104-53. It will host 2-1 Metamora on Friday and try to tap into their Pumpkin Festival accessory.
Jack-o’-lanterns were often used to ward off evil spirits throughout history. In this instance, the Potters will try to ward off the evil Redbirds while rocking the coolest alternate helmets in high school football.
Should they lose, though, the helmets are cursed and must disappear!