Lobos – the Origin of Snowflake High School’s Mascot

A Memorable Basketball Team Helped Coin the Name

Although secondary school education existed in Snowflake since 1888, the high school now known as Snowflake High School has gone by several names. Originally a religious school sponsored by the local congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Church discontinued their sponsorship after the spring semester of 1924.  From 1888 to 1924 the school was known as the Snowflake Stake Academy or S.S.A. For a short period, the Academy athletic teams went by the name Blue Devils.

The school was next known as Union High School. Union High School’s boundaries covered the southern half of Navajo County, and a small strip of land along the railroad line between Holbrook and Winslow. It covered Woodruff and every community south all the way to Whiteriver. There are now at least 5 public high schools within these old boundaries. It was called Union because several elementary school districts came together to form a high school.

The school was eventually referred to as Snowflake High School after other communities slowly got their own high schools.   

The UHS boys’ basketball team, in the winter season of 1925-26, helped secure the mascot name now known as the Lobos. The team had a tremendous season including securing a win over Eastern Arizona College (then known as Gila Junior College) and finishing the season winning the Northern Arizona Championship.

The season started with a game at Leupp, Arizona against an Indian School team. Inspired by that game, Jospeh Peterson, the well-known educator of Snowflake High, wrote a poem wherein he stated that the team wanted a name.

               “…These husky teams now want a name:

               If Antelope if timid still,

               Why not the Lobo on the hill?

               ‘I am a wolf.’ One did declare,

               ‘Swift, brave and strong and fleet and fair.’

               So let it be, ‘tis noble game

               U. Hi Lobos, a fitting name…”

From that game forward, the name Lobos stuck. News articles began referring to the Union High School athletic teams as the Lobos.

After the poem’s inspiring win, the Lobos travelled to Thatcher to take on the Gila Junior College. The team secured a win. The Snowflake Herald stated that, “The game ended 31-24 in our favor. The Gila College team is no high school and has been beaten but few times so it is about as great as victory as could be won to beat them on their own court. Oh you U. Hi Lobos.”

The team did suffer a defeat in a subsequent game against Gila College later in the year and a two-point loss to St Johns, the then reigning Northern Arizona champion. The Team, however, secured lopsided wins against Holbrook, St Johns and Round Valley later in the season.

The squad finished the season at the Northern Arizona Basketball Tournament by beating Winslow, then Clarkdale in their first two matches. The team matched up against Prescott in the semi-finals and narrowly won.  The Lobos met St Johns in the finals where they easily defeated them 28-14.

Their championship secured the Lobos the Silver Cup, the annual Northern Arizona Basketball Tournament cup awarded to the victorious team.

This memorable team that helped cement the name Lobos began a century old standard of success for all the athletic teams that followed at Snowflake High School. As the school celebrates its 100-year anniversary of being a public school next year, this early team taught all Lobos that followed what it means to be a lobo.

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