Merrimack Is the Champion

Granite State Challenge Championship Game

Merrimack Wins Third Straight Granite State Challenge Championship, while Tilton Begins New Chapter

Durham, NH (May 16, 2026)—Merrimack High School celebrated its third straight GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE championship with a 570-310 win over the Tilton School. This latest conquest etched its fifth championship into the school's history. For the Tilton School, this competition was more than just a game; it was the inaugural appearance of a team brought into existence by its captain's ambitious senior legacy project.

Viewers can watch the GRANITE STATE SUPERCHALLENGE and the entire series for free on the PBS App, the NHPBS YouTube channel, or online at nhpbs.org/gsc.

Playing for the Tilton Rams team were 12th-grade captain Lex Condodemetraky, 11th-graders Niko Condodemetraky and Jamie Scott, and 12th grader Sebastian DeVeaux, with 11th grader Turner Bottomley and 10th grader Nathaniel Colon as alternates. The Rams were coached by Spanish teacher Keelan Mackenzie, and Lauren Robinson, a social media and content specialist. The Tilton School is a private boarding school that enrolls 220 students.

The Merrimack High team was captained by 12th grader Erin Murray accompanied by 12th graders Liam MacIsaac and Maeve LaRock, and 11th grader Avis Clever. The team’s alternates were 12th grader Hikari McDowell and 11th graders Bridget Clark and Lauren Murby. Coached by chemistry teacher, and the coaches were  Dr. Sara Campbell, and physics teacher, Liz Dumais. Merrimack High enrolls 1,174 students and has more championship titles than any other school. They took home the trophy in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, and now 2025. They lost to Portsmouth High in 2022.

ROUND ONE

Something about the semifinal round against Bedford lit a fire within Merrimack, and it showed when it mattered most.

Tilton’s Niko answered the first question of the match related to Washington D.C., but the entire Merrimack team immediately pounced on the buzzer and answered five questions in a row to take an early, 50-10, lead.

Sebastian drew another one back for the Rams, only to be met with another flurry of correct answers by Maeve and Avis from Merrimack.

“I was an alternate last year, and it's amazing. This is my first year actually on the team, and it just feels so good to be getting the questions right,” said Merrimack’s Avis Clever. “That question last time, the make-or-break one, just felt amazing to get that, and I'm so excited for next year.”

The Rams’ captain, Lex, had a few outstanding moments and answered a sports question, and one more correctly to keep his team in the game. He would go on to answer two more correctly, but Merrimack continued dominating.

Erin, Liam, and Maeve combined for 50 more points before the end and won the round for the Tomahawks, 130-60.

ROUND TWO – THREE STRIKES AND YOU’RE OUT

In the Three Strikes and You're Out Round, each team gets a 10-question category, and each team member gets one question, starting with the captain. The team continues to answer questions until they miss three questions. Each team also has three passes in each round. If a team answers all 10 questions correctly, they pick up an additional 10 points. 

Merrimack went first and had one of the best Round Two performances of the season. The Tomahawks used two passes to answer the first three questions right before getting a strike.

After the strike, it was Maeve’s turn, and she answered correctly to start a five-question streak, which ended when Avis missed on the last one, but earned the Merrimack team an impressive 80 points.

“They were amazing. They got two wrong, but they were all really good ,thoughtful responses, even the ones they got wrong. And they just trusted themselves to know what they were doing, and they did exactly what they've been trained to do, which was amazing,” said coach Campbell of Merrimack.

The Rams may have started to feel the pressure in the final match, and Lex, Niko, and Jamie answered incorrectly on the first three questions, which saw them strike out before using any passes and before reaching Sebastian.

This very tough round for the Rams had them trailing, 290-160, halfway through but with plenty of questions yet to be answered.

ROUND THREE – 60-SECOND ROUND

In the 60-Second Round, alternates join their teams. Each team picks a ten-question category and has 60 seconds to answer the questions. If they answer all ten correctly, teams get a 10-point bonus. Team members can confer in the round, but the captain answers.

As the team trailing, the Rams chose a category first. Their selection had been passed on in other matches, but they took a swing at “Bridgerton.” This category’s answers included the word bridge or were bridge-related.

The Tilton team conferred with its alternates and split the first six questions before ending strong with four correct answers for a total of 70 points. This drew them significantly closer, but Merrimack still had a category to answer.

The Tomahawks went with “Home Sweet Home,” a category where each answer included the words home or house.

Despite missing the first question, the team seemed to find all the answers quickly and the Tomahawks successfully answered eight questions to widen their lead by ten.

FINAL ROUND – TOSS-UP

In the final round of the game, each correct answer is worth 20 points, but teams lose 20 points with an incorrect answer, and a lead can be easily lost or gained in the round.

Teams sometimes lay off the buzzer in the fourth round with a significant, 160-point lead like Merrimack’s, but as seen in the semifinal round, they’re not afraid to buzz in.

Merrimack’s Team Captain Erin buzzed in first to widen the lead, but Jamie and Lex got one each to draw the Rams closer. However, seven right answers is a tall mountain to climb when you’re not afforded much breathing room on the buzzer.

Erin continued to dominate on the buzzer for Merrimack, answering two more right. After that, Sebastian missed, but Lex was able to break even with a correct answer.

Maeve and Erin answered the following five questions right, beating the Rams to the buzzer as only Lex was able to buzz in quickly enough to get his team more points.

Ultimately, the Tomahawks kept the lead, winning the 2025 GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE title by a score of 570-310, once again proving that they are the team to beat.

“Part of it is they’ve seen the success of the past teams, and they want that for themselves. Last year’s group watched the group before that. This year’s group. Erin was part of it, but everyone else just kind of saw, ‘Oh, I want to do that,’” said Merrimack’s coach Campbell. “Liam talked about his desire for the trophy after seeing it in my classroom, and they realized what they needed to do to get there.”

“It feels so great to win,” said Merrimack’s Liam MacIsaac. I knew it was going to be fun, but I didn't know how fun it was going to be.”

Despite the final score, this was far from a setback for the Tilton Rams. Lex Condodemetraky's senior legacy project brought the team back to the GSC stage after a long hiatus, and reaching the finals signaled a promising new chapter for the program.

“I just hope that they all had fun. I thank all of them for helping me out and doing it with me, as it was something that was a passion of mine. I really wanted to do it, so I'm really thankful for all of them,” said Lex Condodemetraky. “That they were on my side, the whole time. “But like I said in the very first interview, this was my legacy project, so it was what’s the legacy you're going to leave behind at Tilton, and hopefully I left a mark that all of them will continue and come back next year even better.”

“The experience that they had is going to serve us really, really well, but when you think about it, we have to get past the buzzers,” said Coach Mackenzie. “So, it’s almost hitting the reset and focusing on the game for next year. Then, being excited about the experience that we've gained, but really just setting our eyes on the game and returning next year.”

Watch the GRANITE STATE SUPERCHALLENGE and the entire season for free on the PBS App, the NHPBS YouTube channel, or online at nhpbs.org/gsc.

Test your knowledge with GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE online quizzes, and more at the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE web page, or try your hand at daily brain teasers on the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE Facebook page.

GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is funded by lead sponsor Unitil with additional funding from Bangor Savings Bank, Safety Insurance, NEA New Hampshire and Aroma Joe’s.

About Host Jon Cannon: GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is hosted by Bow High School teacher Jon Cannon.  Cannon has a long history with GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE. You might say he grew up with the game.  He was a member of the Belmont High team when he was in high school, was a member of the NHPBS GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE crew when he was in college at UNH and was the coach of the Bedford High GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE team.

About New Hampshire PBS:  New Hampshire PBS inspires Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs and services on-air, online, via mobile, in classrooms and in communities. Beyond its award-winning television programs, New Hampshire PBS is a leader in education and community engagement. nhpbs.org

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