Mars Area School District mascot, the Fightin' Planet, wins 2026 best high school mascot in America

After millions of votes were cast, the Mars Fightin' Planets have been named the best high school mascot in America. 

In a March Madness-style bracket, pitting 64 high school mascots against one another, the Fightin' Planets came out on top, beating another Pennsylvania school, the Boiling Springs Bubblers, by a vote of 899,296 to 575,259. 

"A huge thank you to our amazing students, staff, and community for your incredible support and school spirit, together," said Dr. Mark Gross, superintendent. "You helped our mascot be recognized as the best in the country." 

Also known as the Mars Meatball, the lovable mascot faced a lot of competition on its way to winning the title. 

In round one, they faced off against the Poca Dots out of West Virginia, then went on to face the Johnson Atom Smashers out of Georgia. 

Then, moving on to the Sweet 16, they knocked off the Bonanza Antlers of Oregon and then the Yuma Criminals in the Elite Eight. 

With a chance to move on to the finals, they scored a win over the Willingboro Chimeras from New Jersey. 

A huge credit for the Fightin' Planets' victory came from social media engagement, including a YouTube video featuring Mars Area Elementary School students telling the camera why the Fightin' Planet is the best. 

Also, according to the Mars Area School District website, they did credit our very own Talk Pittsburgh with giving them a bump in the competition.