Merrimack Valley High School Wins Season Opener of NHPTV's Granite State Challenge

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(DURHAM, September 23, 2010) – It was a nail-biter of a game as Merrimack Valley High School won the season opener of Granite State Challenge, besting John Stark Regional High School by 200 to 195 in last night’s match. Catch Granite State Challenge Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and again Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. on New Hampshire Public Television, and always online. The triumphant Merrimack Valley Lions included junior David Pivia and seniors Alex Williams, Nathan Merrow, Maya Westcott, Henry Bendel and Derek Blunt. They were coached by Brett Thompson. Their opponents, the John Stark Generals, included seniors Nick Rico, Sarah Ray, Taylor Frarie, Emily Lukasiak and Katie Muzzy, as well as junior Matt Reynolds. They were coached by Jill Pinard and Phil Matzke. TUNE IN WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 @ 6 p.m. BELMONT HIGH SCHOOL vs. BERLIN HIGH SCHOOL Tune in each Wednesday night @ 6 p.m. and follow your favorite teams' progress. The popular quiz contest begins with 32 Granite State high school teams battling toward the coveted SuperChallenge title. There are four single-elimination rounds leading to the final contest in April. If you missed a match and want to see how your favorite team fared, watch Granite State Challenge online at www.nhptv.org/gsc and on YouTube, or download it from the Granite State Challenge website or iTunes Music Store as a video podcast. Granite State Challenge brings New Hampshire's top high school academic teams head-to-head in spirited competition. The contest emphasizes quick recall of factual material in all major disciplines – math, science, social studies, language arts, and fine arts - along with a smattering of pop culture trivia and New Hampshire topics. Long-time host Jim Jeannotte asks the Challenge questions to the teams; co-host Lori Warriner interviews team members prior to the game. Funding for Granite State Challenge is provided Public Service of New Hampshire, the Community College System of New Hampshire, Irving Oil, Markem-Imaje and the NHHEAF Network Organizations.