Mascoma Valley Regional vs. Plymouth Regional: A Granite State Challenge Matchup

Grafton County Battle

Durham, NH (March 9, 2026) - Two Grafton Country rivals go head-to-head when the Royals of Mascoma Valley Regional High face the Bobcats of Plymouth Regional High in game five of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE on Thursday, March 12th at 8:30 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS.

The Mascoma Royals enter the competition led by captain Adeline Josephson, a 12th-grader, and backed by a talented group that includes 11th-graders Carl Russell and Abby Lockitt, along with 10^th-grader Isaac Malenda. Rounding out the roster is alternate Riley Hathaway, a 9th-grader, ready to step in when called upon. The Royals are coached by Social Studies teacher John Sweetland. Mascoma Valley Regional High, located in Canaan, serves 340 students from Canaan, Grafton, Enfield, Orange, and Dorchester. The Royals secured their spot on GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE by defeating the Orioles of Conant High in a tough wildcard match.

This being their first time making it to the show, Mascoma team captain Adeline Josephson said her team was a little nervous coming into the show, but mostly excited. “I think we each have our own individual fortes,” said Adeline. “I like literature and pop culture, our teammate Carl is good with history and our teammate Abby is really good with countries and languages.”

Mascoma coach John Sweetland was pretty impressed by his team’s knowledge. “We’ve got someone who’s great in geography, and someone who is very sharp in math. And we’ve got a very good comic person,” said Sweetland. “I think we're pretty balanced.”

The Plymouth Bobcats bring together a strong core of competitors, with 11th-grader Abe Hankens serving as captain alongside fellow 11th-graders Yuriy Paul and Ezra Amsden and 10^th-grader Leif Eisenbarth. Supporting the team are alternates Aurora Ricker, Cam Cawley and Olivia Brayfield, all 9th-graders. The Bobcats are coached by Jay Fogarty, a Drafting teacher, and Troy Harris, a World Languages teacher. Plymouth Regional High enrolls 640 students in Grafton County and serves Plymouth, Ashland, Holderness, Campton, Rumney, Wentworth, Ellsworth, Waterville Valley, and Thornton. Plymouth Regional High School is a three-time GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE champion, winning titles in 1996, 2013, and 2019 and has appeared in the final match in 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2024.

Veteran coaches Jay Fogerty and Troy Harris reflected on the makeup of their team. “This is a young team, we had a lot of turnover from a really great group of kids last year,” said coach Harris. “It’s been exciting to see these kids coming up and getting excited to play.”

Coach Jay Fogerty knows his team is strong academically but sees areas to improve. “Granite State Challenge is well known for its pop culture questions and our team isn’t really not that strong in this category,” said Fogerty. “That might be our Achilles heel.”

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 new season of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE premiering on Thursday, March 12th  at 8:30 p.m. on NHPBS. You can also steam 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.

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Watch More Mascoma Valley Regional vs. Plymouth Regional: A Granite State Challenge Matchup

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 8:31 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

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

Full Schedule