Bishop Guertin High School Narrowly Defeats Salem High School on Granite State Challenge

Durham, NH (April 3, 2026) – If you can name the novel by Leo Tolstoy that opens with the line “all happy families resemble one another,” then you may have performed well in the most recent game of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE on NHPBS. This was the question that allowed two-time former champions Bishop Guertin High School to gain the lead over three-time former champions Salem High School in the final round. Bishop Guertin would ultimately defeat Salem 430 to 405 after a tight game.

Captain Mohid Khan, a 12th-grader, led the Bishop Guertin Cardinals. His team included fellow 12th graders Declan Pyles, Teddy Bond and Aidan Coffey. Team alternates were 10th-grader Grant Leonardi and 12th-grader Carter Rick. The Cardinals were coached by English teachers Katie Graham and Jeannette Riendeau.  Bishop Guertin High School enrolls 800 students from Nashua, Merrimack, Bedford, Hudson, Hollis and Pelham.

The Salem Blue Devils were captained by 12th-grader Megan Sneed. The team roster included 10th-grader Ross Tremblay, 11th-grader Gabe Bradley and 10th-grader Sam Feuer.  The team’s alternate was 9th-grader Bernie Campbell. Salem was coached by Social Studies teacher Bernie Campbell, who is also the father of the younger Bernie.  Salem High School enrolls 1,000 students from the city of Salem.

The game’s opening round showcased two talented, evenly matched teams, with the lead going back and forth several times. By the end of round one, Salem was in the lead by just 15 points, 135 to 120.

During round two of the game, Bishop Guertin’s nerves got the better of them. “There was one question in the second round where we knew, but we forgot to pass it,” said team captain Mohid Khan. The mistake led to an early conclusion to the three-strikes-and-you ’re-out round, meaning the team only gained 40 points while Salem’s strategy remained solid and the team gained 80 points.

Showing impressive teamwork in round three, Salem increased their lead. The team remained calm, even when struggling to find the answer “The Great Awakening” while the clock was ticking. Their patience paid off, and the team got 9 out of 10 correct answers during the quickfire round.

“Even though we lost, we worked really well as a team, and we felt very cohesive. We were able to share our ideas when we really needed it,” said Salem captain Megan Sneed. “I was very proud of my team. I feel like they did so amazing.”

Bishop Guertin bounced back in round three, getting 8 out of 10 questions. While round three ended with Salem in the lead, 305 to 250, the Cardinals’ performance marked a change in energy that would carry them through round four.

“I think really it was just that drive to tighten the score as much as we could, and eventually we took the lead,” said Khan.  “We were just driven by that.”

Early in round four, Bishop Guertin dominated the buzzer, keeping their opponents from answering most questions. By the round’s fifth question, Bishop Guertin gained the lead. While Salem didn’t give up the game without a fight, they never regained the lead.

Bishop Guertin coach Jeanette Riendeau was elated by the win, praising the performance by both teams. “It was truly a nail-biter in the end,” she laughed. “I had this deep sigh, and I heard to my side (Bishop Guertin co-coach) Katie having the same sigh at the same exact time.”

Salem coach Bernie Campbell remained optimistic despite the loss. “We’ll just keep doing what we do,” said Campbell, already looking to next year. “Most of the kids will be a year older. They'll have more classes, they’ll have a little bit more experience, and that's the important part.

The Leo Tolstoy novel with that famous opening line about happy families is Anna Karenina.

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.

Catch the next game of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE on Thursday, April 9th at 8:30 p.m. on NHPBS. You can also stream it on the PBS App, the NHPBS YouTube channel, or online at nhpbs.org/gsc.

Test your knowledge with GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE online quizzes, and more at the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE web page, or try your hand at daily brain teasers on the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE Facebook page.

GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is funded by lead sponsor Unitil, with additional funding from Safety Insurance and NEA New Hampshire.

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