Merrimack HS Defeats St. Thomas Aquinas HS in Round Two Match of Granite State Challenge

– Merrimack High School Advances to Quarterfinals –

(DURHAM, January 9, 2009) – Round two of New Hampshire Public Television's Granite State Challenge began tonight with a lively match-up between Merrimack High School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, with Merrimack emerging victorious. Merrimack defeated St. Thomas Aquinas by a score of 305 to 115. Granite State Challenge airs Fridays @ 6 p.m. and again Saturdays @ 8:30 a.m. on NHPTV. The triumphant Merrimack Tomahawks were comprised of seniors Meghna Chandra, Carolyn Chakuroff, and Siddharth Soundararjan, junior Ross Johnson and alternates Dan Chick and Jeremy King. They were coached by Susan Ruggeri. Their opponents, the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints, included seniors Mike Myhre, Michael Tran, Julia Danford, Gina Guadagnoli with alternates Colleen Lenz and Dan Covert. They were coached by Charles Prince. Merrimack High School moves on to the quarterfinals where they will meet the winner of next week's match between Laconia High School and Portsmouth Christian Academy. Tune in Friday, 1/16 @ 6 p.m. for the next match-up on Granite State Challenge Laconia High School vs. Portsmouth Christian Academy Tune in each Friday night @ 6 p.m. and follow your favorite teams' progress. The popular quiz contest begins with 32 Granite State high school teams battling toward the coveted SuperChallenge title. There are four single-elimination rounds leading to the final contest in May. If you missed a match and want to see how your favorite team fared, watch Granite State Challenge online at www.nhptv.org/gsc and on YouTube, or download it from the Granite State Challenge website or iTunes Music Store as a video podcast. Granite State Challenge brings New Hampshire's top high school academic teams head-to-head in spirited competition. The contest emphasizes quick recall of factual material in all major disciplines - math, science, social studies, language arts, and fine arts - along with a smattering of pop culture trivia and New Hampshire topics. Long-time host Jim Jeannotte asks the Challenge questions to the teams; co-host Tim Estiloz interviews team members prior to the game. Major funding for Granite State Challenge is provided by the New Hampshire Lottery. Additional funding is provided by Public Service of New Hampshire, the Community College System of New Hampshire, Irving Oil, and the NHHEAF Network Organizations.