Stratford Public HS Defeats Farmington HS in Round Two Match of Granite State Challenge

– Stratford Public School Advances to Quarterfinals –

(DURHAM, January 23, 2009) – Stratford Public School claimed a decisive victory over Farmington High School on Friday's Granite State Challenge, defeating Farmington by a score of 240 to 130. Granite State Challenge airs Fridays @ 6 p.m. and again Saturdays @ 8:30 a.m. on New Hampshire Public Television. The victorious Stratford Lions team included juniors Meghan Hakey, Amilia Thebarge, Caleb Mason, and Nichole Orlacchio, and alternate Chelsea Bishop. The were coached by Marie P. Hughes. Their opponents, the Farmington Tigers, included seniors Christopher Youden, Alexandria Dudley, Thomas Eldredge, and Mike Sprague, and alternates Rebecca Ireland and Samantha Stoakes. The team was coached by Louise Leahy. Stratford Public School moves on to the quarterfinals where they will face the winners of next week's match between Bow High School and Phillips Exeter Academy. Tune in Friday, 1/30 @ 6 p.m. for the next match-up on Granite State Challenge Bow High School vs. Phillips Exeter Academy Tune in each Friday 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 May. 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 Tim Estiloz interviews team members prior to the game. Major funding for Granite State Challenge is provided by the New Hampshire Lottery. Additional funding is provided by Public Service of New Hampshire, the Community College System of New Hampshire, Irving Oil, and the NHHEAF Network Organizations.