(DURHAM, May 11, 2021) - Tune in to see who takes home the well-deserved Granite State Challenge Championship trophy on Saturday, May 14 at 6 pm on NHPBS as the two-time defending champ Merrimack High meets Portsmouth High. The two teams met last season in the semifinals. This is the 40th season of Granite State Challenge and the championship game will feature a question based on the very first question ever asked on Granite State Challenge, which will be asked by a very special guest.
This is the second season in a row that was impacted by COVID. Usually, Granite State Challenge starts in November with an in-person qualifying event when teams from high schools across the state gather to take a one-hour qualifying test. This season teams took the test at their own schools. We started with 33 schools and now we are down to the final two.
Merrimack High defeated Kingswood Regional high in Round One, Plymouth Regional High in the Quarterfinals, and Nashua South High in the Semifinals. Playing for Merrimack High are Captain and junior Jack Pikora, senior Connor Bobbitt, junior Aris Corman-O'Reilly, and junior Alli Pikora. The team alternates are junior Rainier Murray and sophomore Kishan Sreenivasan. Sara Campbell coaches the team. Merrimack High is located in Merrimack, NH in Hillsborough County, and enrolls around 1,170 students.
Portsmouth High beat Mascoma High in Round One, ConVal High in the Quarterfinals, and Londonderry High in the Semifinals. Playing for Portsmouth High is captain and senior Francis Powell along with seniors Rio Marcus and Josie Sedam, junior Nick Dahlen, and alternate senior Karina Havaleshko. Portsmouth High is coached by Hannah Dul and enrolls 1,084 students from Rye, Newcastle, Newington, Greenland, and Portsmouth.
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 provided by NEA New Hampshire, Safety Insurance, New Hampshire Lottery, D.F. Richard, Cognia, and HRCU.
Who will win it all?
Watch More Merrimack Meets Portsmouth
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.
Manchester Central takes on Merrimack in this semi final matchup.
Bow takes on Portsmouth in this semi final matchup.
Bow High takes on Stevens in the forth Quarterfinal match up.
Portsmouth High takes on Londonderry in the third Quarterfinal match up.
Defending champs Merrimack High against Plymouth Regional High.
The Little Green of Manchester Central High take on the Cardinals of Bishop Guertin.
The Salem High Blue Devils take on the Cardinals Stevens High.
The Bow Falcons meet the Prospect Mountain Timberwolves.
The Lancers of Londonderry High take on the Astros of Pinkerton Academy
The Bobcats of Oyster River High take on the Clippers of Portsmouth High.
The Blue Hawks of Exeter High take on the Bobcats of Plymouth Regional High.
The Tomahawks of Merrimack High take on the Indians of Sanborn Regional High.
The Cardinals of Bishop Guertin High take on the Lin-Wood Lumberjacks.
The Little Green of Manchester Central High take on the Rams of Raymond High.
The Bobcats of Plymouth Regional High take on the Tomahawks of Merrimack High.
The Falcons of Bow High take on the defending champions Plymouth Regional High Bobcats.
The Tomahawks of Merrimack High take on the Sabers of Souhegan High in the first semifinal
The Falcons of Bow High take on the Blue Hawks of Exeter High in the final quarterfinal.
The Little Green of Manchester Central High take on the defending champ, Plymouth Regional
The Purple Panthers of Nashua High South take on the Souhegan High Sabers.
The Phoenix of the Academy for Science and Design take on the Tomahawks of Merrimack High.
The Bow High Falcons take on the Wildcats of Fall Mountain Regional High.
The Cardinals of Bishop Guertin High take on the Blue Hawks of Exeter High.
The Marauders of Hanover High take on the Little Green of Manchester Central.
The Bobcats of Plymouth Regional High take on the Dover Green Wave in round-one play.
The Londonderry High Lancers take on the Souhegan High Sabers.
Nashua High South Purple Panthers meet the Portsmouth High Clippers in this round 1 match.
The Academy for Science and Design Phoenix take on the Littleton High Crusaders.
The Bears of Newfound Regional High School take on the Tomahawks of Merrimack High.
The Green Wave of Dover take on the Profile Patriots.
The Bears of Newfound take on the Sanborn Indians.
It's the final game of the season as Littleton High School matches wits with Plymouth.