ConVal High School Defeats Defending Champion Merrimack High School in Surprise GSC Upset

ConVal Bests 5-Time Champ Merrimack

Durham, NH (March 6, 2026) —Do you know what the 36 columns on the Lincoln Memorial represent? This is one of only a handful of questions missed by both teams during a competitive game of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE on New Hampshire PBS. Despite trailing for most of the game, ConVal mounted a dramatic comeback with a strong performance in Round Four to defeat Merrimack, 350–315.

Captain Ben Michaud, a 12th-grader, led the ConVal Cougars. His teammates included Ben Ferrisi, a 9th-grader, as well as Vincent Hollenbeck and Iris Palmer, both 11th-graders. Team alternates were 10th-grader Colin Maybury and 11th-grader Marcus Jordan. The Cougars were coached by Social Studies teachers Eric Bowman and Chris Heider. ConVal High enrolls 630 students from Contoocook Valley, including towns Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, Peterborough, Sharon and Temple.

The Merrimack Tomahawks were captained by 12th-grader Avis Clever, along with 12th-grader Bridget Clark, 11th-grader Jeremy Nigen and 12th-grader Lauren Murby. Team alternates were 11th-grader Zach Tiller and 10th-grader Tess Howes. The Merrimack team was coached by Dr. Sara Campbell, a chemistry teacher, and Jess Kueblbeck, an ESOL teacher.  Merrimack High is located in the town of Merrimack and enrolls 1,100 students. Merrimack has competed in every championship game since 2020, winning five out of six championships.

Despite jumping out to an early lead in Round One, ConVal quickly lost ground to the defending champions. “Holy smokes—they're so fast on the buzzer,” ConVal Captain Ben Michaud said of Merrimack. “It was hard to keep up with them. “

Merrimack continued with a strong performance on the Three Strikes and You’re Out Round.  All three available passes were used to direct questions to 11th-grader Jeremy Nigen, who came through for the team with correct responses on topics ranging from Black Sabbath to Rocky to Ken Burns.

The Three Strikes round is known among competitors as the most strategically difficult part of the game. “I'm proud of how we performed,” said Captain Avis Clever, who is the only returning member from the 2025 championship team to have played in a live game. “We worked a ton on that, and we just played it really well.“ Merrimack went on to get 9 out of 10 answers right in the 60-second Round.

ConVal struggled in the Three Strikes Round, answering just one question correctly, but regained momentum with a perfect score in the 60-Second Round, answering all ten questions correctly and picking up an additional 10 points.

That teamwork would turn the tide for them in Round Four. “I think everybody had a buzz-in in that round and was able to contribute, ” said Michaud.

Michaud described his team as “cautious but aggressive” in the final section of the game, an approach that paid off in round four, where incorrect answers result in 20-point deductions. Merrimack entered the round with an 85-point lead, but several incorrect responses allowed ConVal to close the gap. During the final four questions, ConVal surged ahead and held the lead through the end of the game.

Coach Sara Campbell remained proud of her team’s effort, “They played really hard. They played a good game,” she said. “There were a lot of good answers, but ConVal just had a better day. They were a really good team.”

ConVal coach Eric Bowman was similarly appreciative of the opposing players. “Merrimack is a great team,” he said. “Our guys just hung in there, and it came right down to the end.”

The 36 columns of the Lincoln Memorial represent the number of states when Lincoln was president.

 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, March 12th 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 ConVal High School Defeats Defending Champion Merrimack High School in Surprise GSC Upset

TV Schedule

• conval v merrimack
  Granite State Challenge
  Thursday, 3/12 at 4:30 P.M. on EXPLORE
  
  

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

• bow v hopkinton
  Granite State Challenge
  Thursday, 3/19 at 8:30 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

• nashua north v oyster river
  Granite State Challenge
  Thursday, 3/26 at 8:30 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

Full Schedule