The Bedford Bulldogs Hold Off the Souhegan Sabers on Granite State Challenge

BEDFORD WINS

Durham, NH (February 20, 2026) —Do you know the name of the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world? This question produced a whopping 40-point swing for one team when they stole it from their rivals on the latest episode of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE on New Hampshire PBS. In a nail-biting second match of the season, the Bedford Bulldogs edged out Souhegan High by just five points, winning 325 to 320.

The Bedford Bulldogs are led by captain Matthew Ruggiero, a 10th-grader. Ruggiero re-formed the team last year with teammate Alina Chausovsky, an 11th-grader. The team is rounded out by Sam Dooley, a 9th-grader, and Sumedh Godavarthy, a 10th-grader. Team alternates are 11th-graders Tabitha Arp and Samantha Arp, along with 10th-grader Victoria von Wallenstein. The Bulldogs are coached by Kelly Chausovsky, Bedford’s Destination Imagination coordinator, and Sherry Arp, a parent coach. Bedford High enrolls close to 1500 students from Bedford. Bedford last made it to the championship game in 2017, where they fell to Nashua High South.

The Souhegan Sabers are captained by 11th-grader Rhys Macdonald and include 12th-grader Sam Hogan, 11th-grader Gideon Allen and 10th-grader Harrison Towne. Team alternates are 12th-grader Roman Block and 11th-graders Aaron Coleman and Alex Grayson. The Sabers are coached by Nicholas Drinkwater, an American Studies teacher. Souhegan High is located in Hillsborough County and enrolls 708 students from Amherst and Mont Vernon.

Bedford led by 85 points at the end of the first round, but Souhegan managed to close that gap considerably after strong showings during the three strikes round and the 60-second round, setting the teams up for an intense final round with the outcome undecided until the final seconds of the game.

Despite Souhegan’s loss, Macdonald was proud of his team’s performance. “I think we did really well,” he said. “It just came down to the buzzer. There were a couple of questions that we could have gotten if we buzzed in faster, but Bedford's a great team.”

Souhegan coach Nicholas Drinkwater felt similarly.  “That's what you want when you come to GSC, right? You want a really competitive game. I loved seeing the team be able to bounce back after the first round when they had us on the buzzers a bit.”

For his part, Bedford captain Matthew Ruggiero already had his eyes on how to prepare for the team’s upcoming quarterfinal game. “There are so many hidden variables that can happen,” he noted. “I think it's important that we prepare for that and be flexible.”

Bedford coach Kelly Chausovsky spoke for many in attendance with her less restrained enthusiasm. “It was so exciting to watch these kids,” she said. “All the kids on both teams are geniuses!”

And the nation with the world’s longest continuous hereditary monarchy is not England, but Japan.

Hosted by Bow High School teacher and former GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE coach (Bedford High), contestant (Belmont High), and GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE crew member, Jon Cannon, GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE features some of New Hampshire's brightest high school students 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.

Catch the next game of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE on Thursday, February 26th at 8:30 p.m. on NHPBS. You can also stream it 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 Safety Insurance and NEA New Hampshire.

Return to the
Granite State Challenge
Main Page

Watch More The Bedford Bulldogs Hold Off the Souhegan Sabers on Granite State Challenge

TV Schedule

• bedford v souhegan
  Granite State Challenge
  Sunday, 2/22 at 6:30 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

• bishop brady v profile
  Granite State Challenge
  Thursday, 2/26 at 8:30 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

• conval v merrimack
  Granite State Challenge
  Thursday, 3/5 at 8:30 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

• mascoma valley v plymouth regional
  Granite State Challenge
  Thursday, 3/12 at 8:30 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

Full Schedule