Inter-Lakes High Falls to Laconia High

(DURHAM, March 29, 2024) - Laconia High bested Inter-Lakes High in the final Round One game of Granite State Challenge.

Playing for Inter-Lakes High were team captain and senior Ayden Anderson, senior James Copeland, junior Calvin Despres, and freshman Braden Housden. The team alternate was freshman Caleb Theriault. The team was coached by librarian Tim Hayman, world language teacher Meg Bedford, and social studies teacher Josh McLeod, Inter-Lakes High is located in Meredith. It enrolls 330 students from Meredith, Center Harbor, and Sandwich.

Playing for Laconia High was team captain and senior Brody Rollins, along with seniors Reid Vaillancourt, James Horan, and Alex Richardson. The team alternates with seniors Wynter Murgatroy and Haley Cullen. Laconia was coached by social studies teacher Taylor Osborne, math teacher Susan Finch, and health and wellness teacher Keith Ball. Laconia High enrolls around 549 students.

ROUND ONE

Laconia got off to a quick start. Reid Vaillancourt, Alex Richardson, and Brody Rollins answered the first three questions correctly. Neither team could answer the next two questions about the game of bridge and Louis Pasteur, but Brody answered the next question about triangles and Reid picked up 20 points for Laconia on the Unitil Power question about what 1985 movie "The Power of Love" was written for. Brody and Reid each picked up another 10 points each and Laconia was out to a lead of 80-0. Calvin Despres put the first points on the board for Inter-Lakes on a question about Jupiter.  Brody of Laconia answered the next question about Carl Benz correctly. The next question was a civics question from Mary Susan Leahy, the Board Chair of NH Civics. James Horan of Inter-Lakes correctly answered a question about one of the three father-and-son pairs who have served as governor of New Hampshire, his teammate Calvin answered a question about Seth Meyers. James and Brody picked up another 10 points each, and the round ended with Laconia in the lead by a score of 120-30.

THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT ROUND
In the Three Strikes and You're Out Round, each team picks a 10-question category and each team member, starting with the captain, gets one question. The team continues to answer questions until they miss three questions. Each team also has three passes in each round. If a team answers all 10 questions correctly, they pick up an additional 10 points. Ayden Anderson, James Copeland, and Calvin Despres each picked up 10 points in the Inter-Lakes round, picking up 30 points for their team. Brody and Reid each picked up 10 points for Laconia, and James picked up 20 points adding 40 points to the Laconia score, and the round ended with Laconia in the lead by a score of 160-60.

60-SECOND ROUND
In the 60-Second Round alternates join their teams. Each team picks a ten-question category and has 60 seconds to answer the questions. If they answer all ten correctly, teams get a 10-point bonus. Team members can confer in the round, but the captain answers.

Inter-Lakes High chose the category "Whiter Shade of Pale." All of the answers in the category included the word white. They answered nine questions correctly and picked up 90 points, narrowing the score to 160-150 with Laconia holding on to a narrow lead.

Laconia chose the category "Water Feature." All of the answers in the category were related to water. Laconia answered seven questions correctly, picking up 70 points and bringing the score to 230-150 with Laconia holding on to their lead.

FINAL ROUND
In the game's final round, each correct answer is worth 20 points, but teams lose 20 points with an incorrect answer and a lead can be easily lost or gained in the round. Inter-Lakes lost 40 points early in the round. James of Laconia picked up the first 20 points in the round on a question about fulcrums.  Braden Housden picked up 20 points for Inter-Lakes by knowing the year the U.S. Civil War started. James Horan of Laconia picked up 40 points for his team on the next two questions, and Braden picked up another 20 points for Inter-Lakes by knowing that the Channel Islands are part of California. Laconia's Alex Richardson knew that poet Dylan Thomas implored the reader not to "go gentle into that good night." Neither team could identify the Canada lynx, and then each team picked up 20 points on correct answers about the word Amazon and Lady Gaga. The round ended and Laconia won by a score of 310-150. 

Laconia High now moves on to the quarterfinals where they will meet Hopkinton High in a game airing on Thursday, April  25 at 7:30 pm on NHPBS.

The first quarterfinal game between Merrimack and the Academy for Science and Design airs Thursday, April 4 at 7:30 pm on NHPBS.

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.

You can follow your favorite team, test your 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, D.F. Richard Energy, and HRCU.

Pressroom Contact

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