Two Teams, One Title: Nashua South and Plymouth Regional Go Head-to-Head in the GSC Final

THIS IS IT! PANTHERS VS. BOBCATS

Durham, NH (May 18, 2026) - The stakes are high as the Purple Panthers of Nashua South take on the Plymouth Regional Bobcats in the final GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE game on Thursday, May 21 at 8:30 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS.

The Purple Panthers of Nashua South are captained by 12th-grader Henry Long and include fellow 12th-graders Eric Picanco and Thanasi Miris, along with 10th-grader Charlie Long. Rounding out the team are alternates 12th-grader Jerry Primo and 10th-grader Lexie Ross. The team is coached by Social Studies teacher Lex Duval and English teacher Kelli Thornhill-Telerski. The Purple Panthers were Granite State Challenge champions in 2016 and 2017.

With multiple practices a week, the Nashua South team’s hard work has paid off to make it to the final game of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE. “We’re an older team with a bunch of seniors, so it’s really exciting that we get to go this far in our senior year and go out with a bang,” said Nashua South captain Henry Long.

Knowing that they’re up against a good team, the Nashua South coaches reflect on their team’s chances. “We have good competition,” said Nashua South coach Kelli Thornhill-Telerski. “I’m feeling confident in the abilities of our students and I think that they’ll give them a good show.”

“We’re really proud of them,” said Nashua South co-coach Lex Duval. “We’re proud of how they act as a team and how individually they’ve grown and continue to make each other better.”

The Plymouth Bobcats are captained by 11th-grader Abe Hankens alongside fellow 11th-graders Yuriy Paul and Ezra Amsden and 9th-grader Olivia Brayfield. Supporting the team are alternates, 10th-grader Leif Eisenbarth and 9th-graders Cam Cawley and Aurora Ricker. 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 that 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.

Focused on how they can improve from the last game, Plymouth Regional’s captain Abe Hankens talked about their upcoming opponent. “Nashua South is really strong,” said captain Abe Hankens. “All of their players have good depth, so they’ll do well. And so, we have to as well.”

Coach Jay Fogarty felt confident in his team’s ability to take the title. “We’ve got a great team to play against,” said Fogarty. “And it’s just really exciting to make it this far and then know that you have one more match. They’ve been playing exactly the way I coach them to play, so we’re not changing anything. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

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 final game on GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE, Thursday, May 21 at 8:30 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS.  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.

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Watch More Two Teams, One Title: Nashua South and Plymouth Regional Go Head-to-Head in the GSC Final

TV Schedule

• bishop guertin VS plymouth regional
  Granite State Challenge
  Thursday, 5/21 at 3:30 P.M. on EXPLORE
  
  

• nashua south VS plymouth regional
  Granite State Challenge
  Thursday, 5/21 at 8:30 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

• bishop guertin VS plymouth regional
  Granite State Challenge
  Friday, 5/22 at 4:30 A.M. on EXPLORE
  
  

• nashua south VS plymouth regional
  Granite State Challenge
  Sunday, 5/24 at 6:30 P.M. on NHPBS
  
  

Full Schedule