Bow Meets Merrimack

(DURHAM, June 16, 2021)  - Tune in to see who takes home the well-deserved Granite State Challenge Championship trophy on Saturday, June 19 at 6 pm on NHPBS as Bow meets returning champ Merrimack High.

This season of Granite State Challenge started way back in November 2020.  That is normally the month that NHPBS holds the one-day qualifying event for the show. Upwards of 60 high schools from across the state field teams of up to six students to take a one-hour test. The teams gather at a single location in three shifts to take the test. Over the course of the day as many as 360 students, 60 plus coaches, and 40 volunteers all get together.  Obviously, that wasn’t going to work in the midst of COVID-19. On top of all that, schools were dealing with remote learning and coaches were not able to easily recruit team members.

The show normally tapes in January, but that wasn’t going to work with the COVID-19 rates. So, Granite State Challenge had the teams administer the test locally and production of the series was pushed back to March. Masks were ordered for teams and the crews, barriers were built between players, distances were kept and fingers were crossed! Teams came to play -  some won, some lost, all made Herculean efforts to meet the challenge, despite all the obstacles - and now we are down to the final two!

Bow High defeated Prospect Mountain in Round One, Stevens High in the Quarterfinals, and Portsmouth High in the Semifinals. Playing for the Bow Falcons are Captain Justin Murphy, Madeleine Kropp, Colin Bayer, and Rachel Budd. The team is coached by Michelle Hlavaz. Bow High is located in Merrimack County and enrolls around 625 students.

Merrimack High beat Sanborn High in Round One, Plymouth Regional High in the Quarterfinals, and Manchester Central in the Semifinals.  Playing for the Tomahawks of Merrimack High are Captain Nick Gacharna, Michael Clark, Aidan Remick, Jack Pikora, and alternates Aris Corman-O'Reilly and Alli Pikora. The team is coached by Sara Campbell and Kyle Harvell. Merrimack High is located in Merrimack, NH in Hillsborough County and enrolls around 1,170 students.

*Granite State Challenge games were pre-recorded in March.

Granite State Challenge features New Hampshire's top high school academic quiz teams 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.

You can follow your favorite team, test your own knowledge with GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE online quizzes, and more at the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE web page or try your hands at daily brainteasers on the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE Facebook page.

GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is funded by lead sponsor Unitil; with additional funding from NEA New Hampshire, Safety Insurance, New Hampshire Lottery, D.F. Richard, Cognia, and HRCU.

Pressroom Contact

Carla Gordon Russell
Director of Communications
crussell@nhpbs.org
(603) 868-4339