KEENE HIGH TOPS PORTSMOUTH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY IN GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE

(DURHAM, April 15, 2013) - Taking an early lead in a quarter-final match, Keene High School secured a victory over Portsmouth Christian Academy by a score of 360 - 210 in last night's GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE.The Blackbirds and Eagles were flying fast, buzzing in with responses before host Jim Jeannotte even finished posing a question. Keene became the first school this season to fully answer all 10 bonus questions in under a minute and this locked in their victory.The Keene Blackbirds were represented by captain Leo Hastings, Adam Burnett, Matt Manning, and Henry Herold, and led by coach Susan Romano. The Portsmouth Eagles were represented by captain Niko Townsend, Byrnese Knapp, John Sipp, Jonah Abraham, and were coached by Donna Capern and Dr. Raymond Gamble. Watch the match online here.Keene High School now advances to the semi-final round of GSC; all GSC matches are available online to watch anytime.The popular quiz contest began the season with 16 Granite State high school teams battling toward the coveted SuperChallenge title and brainy bragging rights. Look for exciting new angles to the games this season, including a Granite State vs. Bay State Governors' Cup grand finale match in May.It takes a winning combination of knowledge, teamwork, grace under pressure, and a quick buzzer reflex to play Granite State Challenge. The show brings New Hampshire's top high school academic teams head-to-head in lively competition. The game emphasizes quick recall of factual material in all major disciplines - math, science, social studies, language and fine arts - along with a mix of questions about current events, entertainment, sports, and regional topics. Host Jim Jeannotte poses the Challenge questions to the teams; Lori Warriner interviews team members.Each of the four team members and the alternates of the winning Granite State SuperChallenge team will receive a $1,000 award from the NHHEAF Network/ I Am College Bound.org program. The winning school also receives $1,000 and a trophy, and the runner-up school receives $500.Watch Granite State Challenge Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on NHPTV PRIME, and at other times on NHPTV PRIME and NHPTV EXPLORE; watch online anytime.Granite State Challenge is generously funded by lead sponsor Unitil Corporation, a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England. Additional funding is provided by the NHHEAF Network Organizations, DF Richard, Markem-Imaje, Pax World Funds, Heinemann and Measured Progress.

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