The Top 5 high school football helmets in the South Sound
We could all use a little light-hearted fun right now, which is why when Lincoln High School football coach Masaki Matsumoto was asked to organize a statewide helmet design poll on Twitter, he jumped at the chance.
For the past week, Matsumoto has been compiling helmet design photos from schools all over the state, across all classifications, put them randomly into brackets and now is letting Twitter users vote on their favorites. The winner will go on to a national competition, where the best high school football helmet in the country will be determined via Twitter polling.
“I thought it’d be a good way to put Washington a little more on the map, give programs a chance to brand their helmets and their program,” Matsumoto said. “As I started posting more teams, it kind of picked up steam and went viral.”
There are 96 teams in the bracket. Voting began Thursday, with each of the four brackets having a 24-hour voting block.
“Some people are getting really into it,” Matsumoto said. “There’s probably not much going on right now. Anything to keep it competitive and light is good for everyone.”
Follow Matsumoto on Twitter to cast your votes for the state’s top helmet. Voting will conclude at the end of the month.
The project got us here at The News Tribune thinking about some of this area’s best high school football helmet designs. TNT sports reporters Jon Manley, Lauren Smith and Jordan Whitford spent the past few days deliberating and choosing the best of the best. Here are our five favorite high school football helmets from the South Sound.
5. Peninsula
Manley: The Seahawks have used the traditional ‘P’ logo, along with winged logos the past few years. Any of them work, with Peninsula’s green and white color scheme simple and clean.
Smith: Peninsula is another South Sound school that has a solid color scheme to work with. The green face mask and white helmet base contrast each other nicely, and definitely offer a Pacific Northwest vibe. The wings are a nice touch for the Seahawks, too.
Whitford: The ‘11 as 1’ tag is a real highlight because it reflects the Seahawks’ philosophy on how they play the game. The helmets that sport the classic “P” give it a simple, but intimidating look.
4. Kennedy Catholic
Manley: The all-red, which extends to the face mask, really shines and demands attention. Kennedy nailed it with the logo, too.
Smith: The metallic red base with the matching red face mask command attention, and the Lancers’ detailed logo is without a doubt one of the sharpest in the state.
Whitford: The red of the Lancers’ helmet really stands out against the green field, and the matte finish just makes it look very clean. Pair that with the Lancer logo on the side and it represents a team ready to ride into battle.
3. Lakes
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Manley: The Lancers’ orange and blue really pop and the color scheme is instantly recognizable with Lakes. The font is clean and doesn’t try to be unnecessarily complicated or overly intricate.
Smith: Lakes is one of a few schools around the state that features orange as a primary color, and the Lancers do it well. The school name written in orange, along with the orange stripe down the center, jump off the white helmet base. This helmet looks particularly slick when the Lancers opt for the all-orange uniforms.
Whitford: Lakes’ helmet has a very simple color scheme, but it dares opponents to always remember who they are up against. A little reminiscent of the Florida Gators, but the Lancers make it their own.
2. Tumwater
Manley: Like Tumwater’s longtime Wing-T offense, sometimes the classics are the best. Everything about the helmet has an old-school feel to it, from the color scheme to the script ‘T-Birds’ font. Opponents know when they go up against Tumwater, they’re going up against a rich winning tradition.
Smith: A classy script for a classy program. The big green machine has sported these helmets for decades — yellow with T-Birds written in cursive in green — and they’ve stood the test of time, pairing well with both Tumwater’s green and white jerseys.
Whitford: There’s something timeless about the T-Birds’ helmet. The yellow and green are reminiscent of the Green Bay Packers storied franchise, and the script “T-Birds” is a nice added touch.
1. Lincoln
Manley: The ‘LA’ design is a bit derivative, but the black and gold is a great color scheme and the helmets have a menacing look. The ‘253’ on the back of the helmet is a nice nod to Tacoma.
Smith: You see the area code pop up everywhere around the South Sound — on car stickers, T-shirts, hats, etc. — and the Abes have joined in on that local pride by stamping 253 in yellow on the back of their black helmets. It’s a cool nod to the area by the Tacoma school.
Whitford: The simple, black matte helmet with gold accents give the Abes’ helmet a pristine look. On the back, the “253” sticker is a subtle reminder to opponents that they are chasing after Tacoma.
This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 1:19 PM.
