(DURHAM, June 16, 2021) - Tune in to see who takes home the well-deserved Granite State Challenge Championship trophy on Saturday, June 19 at 6 pm on NHPBS as Bow meets returning champ Merrimack High.
This season of Granite State Challenge started way back in November 2020. That is normally the month that NHPBS holds the one-day qualifying event for the show. Upwards of 60 high schools from across the state field teams of up to six students to take a one-hour test. The teams gather at a single location in three shifts to take the test. Over the course of the day as many as 360 students, 60 plus coaches, and 40 volunteers all get together. Obviously, that wasn’t going to work in the midst of COVID-19. On top of all that, schools were dealing with remote learning and coaches were not able to easily recruit team members.
The show normally tapes in January, but that wasn’t going to work with the COVID-19 rates. So, Granite State Challenge had the teams administer the test locally and production of the series was pushed back to March. Masks were ordered for teams and the crews, barriers were built between players, distances were kept and fingers were crossed! Teams came to play - some won, some lost, all made Herculean efforts to meet the challenge, despite all the obstacles - and now we are down to the final two!
Bow High defeated Prospect Mountain in Round One, Stevens High in the Quarterfinals, and Portsmouth High in the Semifinals. Playing for the Bow Falcons are Captain Justin Murphy, Madeleine Kropp, Colin Bayer, and Rachel Budd. The team is coached by Michelle Hlavaz. Bow High is located in Merrimack County and enrolls around 625 students.
Merrimack High beat Sanborn High in Round One, Plymouth Regional High in the Quarterfinals, and Manchester Central in the Semifinals. Playing for the Tomahawks of Merrimack High are Captain Nick Gacharna, Michael Clark, Aidan Remick, Jack Pikora, and alternates Aris Corman-O'Reilly and Alli Pikora. The team is coached by Sara Campbell and Kyle Harvell. Merrimack High is located in Merrimack, NH in Hillsborough County and enrolls around 1,170 students.
*Granite State Challenge games were pre-recorded in March.
Granite State Challenge features New Hampshire's top high school academic quiz teams as they demonstrate remarkable teamwork, quick thinking, and smarts to beat the clock and buzz in first on this iconic New Hampshire game show. The game emphasizes quick recall of math, science, social studies, language arts, and fine arts facts - along with questions about current events, entertainment, sports, and New Hampshire.
You can follow your favorite team, test your own knowledge with GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE online quizzes, and more at the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE web page or try your hands at daily brainteasers on the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE Facebook page.
GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is funded by lead sponsor Unitil; with additional funding from NEA New Hampshire, Safety Insurance, New Hampshire Lottery, D.F. Richard, Cognia, and HRCU.
Additional funding is provided by NEA New Hampshire, Safety Insurance, D.F. Richard Energy, and HRCU.
Plymouth Regional High meets Nashua High South in the third game of the quarterfinals.
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Souhegan High meets Trinity High the second game of the quarterfinals.
It's the first game of the quarterfinals!
The final Round One game pairs up Belknap County neighbors, Inter-Lakes High and Laconia.
Hopkinton High and Salem High battle it out in game seven of the first round.
ConVal High and Nashua High South meet up in game six of the first round.
Newfound Regional High and Plymouth Regional High go head-to-head in game five of the firs
ASD takes on Manchester Central.
Oyster River High takes on Trinity High in the fourth Round One game.
Dover High faces off against Souhegan High in the third Round One game.
Belmont High will face 2023 champion, Merrimack High.
New Hampshire's brightest high school kids square off in a high-stakes quiz showdown.
Belmont High meets Concord High in the first wildcard qualifying game.
Lin-Wood High faces Newfound Regional High in the second wildcard qualifying game.
Bobcats vs. Tomahawks in this final matchup of the season.
Plymouth Regional High School takes on Trinity High School.
The semifinal round opens with Hopkinton taking on Merrimack.
Oyster River takes on Trinity in this quarter final match.
Bow High School takes on Plymouth Regional High School.
Hopkinton and St. Thomas Aquinas face off in a fast-paced round two competition.
Merrimack High School takes on Souhegan High school.
Dover High School takes on Trinity High School in the final match up of round one.
Oyster River High School takes on Winnacunnet High School.
Mascoma Valley Regional High School takes on Bow High School in this round one match.
Plymouth Regional High meets Salem High in this round one match.
Hopkinton High meets defending champion Portsmouth High.
Fall Mountain Regional High meets St. Thomas Aquinas High in game three.
Nashua High School South takes on Souhegan High School in this first round match.
John Stark Regional High meets Merrimack High in the first game of the 41st season.
John Stark takes on Newfound in this Wildcard Preseason matchup.
Profile takes on Salem in this Wildcard Preseason matchup.
Who will win it all?
Londonderry High School takes on Portsmouth High School.
Merrimack High School takes on Nashua High School South.
Londonderry takes on Manchester Central in this quarterfinal matchup.
ConVal High School takes on Portsmouth High School in this quarterfinal matchup.
Merrimack High School takes on Plymouth Regional High School in this quarterfinal matchup.
The first match in the quarterfinals in the 40th season of Granite State Challenge.
The eighth game of the season and final game in the first round.
The seventh game of the season pits Manchester Central High against Salem High.
The Conval Cougars take on the Hopkinton Hawks!
Mascoma takes on Portsmouth.
The Crusaders of Littleton High take on the Fall Mountain Wildcats.
The Purple Panthers of Nashua High South take on the Falcons of Bow High.
The Academy for Science and Design take on Plymouth Regional High School.
The Tomahawks of Merrimack take on the Kingswood Knights.
Tune in to the first episode of the 40th season when Kingswood takes on Merrimack.
Merrimack takes on Bow in the final matchup of the season.
Bow takes on Portsmouth in this semi final matchup.