Meet the Carlton Wrenshall Raptors

Students from the new combined Carlton Wrenshall football team and cheer squad unveiled their new mascot and colors during the Carlton Daze parade on Sunday.

They are the Carlton Wrenshall Raptors - think velociraptor, not birds of prey - and the colors are bright Wrenshall orange and Carlton blue.

They plan to do the same thing during the Wrenshall Brickyard Days parade on Saturday, according to Wrenshall superintendent Kim Belcastro. She explained that a committee made up of students from both school districts came up with the mascot and the colors before school got out. Carlton activities director Ben Midge said "Raptors" was the nickname that got the most votes at both schools.

"There are many different ideas about what the nickname should have been, but ultimately through the agreed process between the two schools "Raptors" prevailed as the nickname of choice," Midge said.

Belcastro said it was great to see the students together with the football team and cheerleading squad.

"Students from both schools are really excited about it," she said. "There's a lot to be excited about."

The new uniforms have arrived, she said, and the two head coaches - Carlton's Jason Crane and Wrenshall's Jeremy Zywicki - are ready for the season to begin. Although football practice officially starts on Aug. 12, Belcastro said the football team has been doing some weightlifting and whatever they can over the summer to get to know each other.

"I think it's super positive we have this and that the athletes are wanting to be in parades and share with both communities that 'this is who we are now,'" Belcastro said, "I think it's a real positive step in the right direction."

The Wrenshall superintendent said she thinks it's a big deal that this decision was made and that it came from the students, explaining that football was required to select a mascot versus last year's combined cross-country team that combined the colors but did not need a mascot (although they unofficially called themselves The Munger Martians).

Midge said the schools will officially compete under the "Raptors" nickname for any combined teams, and that they will look into combining for other sports "when and if it is necessary and makes sense."

In the case of football, it made sense, he said, explaining that Wrenshall needed to combine immediately to have enough numbers for varsity football, and Carlton needed to combine to keep the program going at the junior high level.