Nashua South Wins Quarterfinal Round Against Bedford High on Granite State Challenge

Durham, NH (April 10, 2026) – Do you know the name for the reaction that occurs when an acid meets a base? This was one of the only questions that went unanswered during a competitive Granite State Challenge quarterfinal game, where Nashua South High School defeated Bedford High School, 365 to 250.

Captain Henry Long, a 12th-grader, led the Nashua South Purple Panthers. His team included fellow 12th graders Eric Picanco and Thanasi Miris, and was rounded out by 10th grader Charlie Long. Jerry Primo, a 12th-grader, stood as team alternate. The Purple Panthers were coached by Social Studies teacher Lex Duval and English teacher Kelli Thornhill-Telerski. Nashua South High School enrolls 1,635 students.

The Bedford Bulldogs were captained by 10th-grader Matthew Ruggiero and included 11th-grader Tabitha Arp, 9th-grader Sam Dooley and 10th-grader Sumedh Godavarthy. Samantha Arp, an 11th-grader, was the team alternate. Bedford was coached by Destination Imagination coordinator Kelly Chausovsky and parent Sherry Arp. Bedford High School enrolls 1,492 students.

Both teams hit the ground running in a high-scoring opening round, with the lead going back and forth between teams multiple times.

“There were very few questions that neither team got,” pointed out Nashua South Captain Henry Long. “That first round was intense. It was just correct answer after correct answer. “

By the end of round one, Nashua South had a two-question lead over Bedford. During the Three Strikes and You’re Out and 60-Second Rounds that comprise rounds three and four, Nashua South managed to grow its lead by a modest 20 points.

In Round 4, however, where incorrect answers lose points, game play heated up as Nashua South made uncharacteristic stumbles that Bedford used to narrow the point margin. But just as Bedford looked poised to overtake their rivals, Nashua South player Eric Picanco began a streak of correct answers, dominating the buzzer to lock out the other team, leading to a decisive victory for Nashua South.

Buzzer speed was an integral part of Nashua South’s strategy, according to Nashua South Coach Kelli Thornhill-Telerski. “A lot of it comes down to buzzer speed practice. I feel very confident in the fact that our team has a lot of content knowledge, but I think timing is everything in this game.”

Bedford Captain Matthew Ruggiero concurred. “ I think we learned a lot. We’ve still got to work on buzzer speed—that's been the main focus. But it was a good experience.”

For their part, Bedford coaches Kelly Chausovsky and Sherry Arp were very happy with their team’s performance.

“I think that they played a really clean game,” said Chausovsky. “They did all the things we talked about, so I'm really proud of them.”

“They were up against an amazing team today, “ Arp pointed out. “I think they represented themselves and the town well.”

Coach Thornhill-Telerski of Nashua South articulated what many watching the game were thinking, “Bedford's team is incredibly intelligent, and they're young,” she pointed out. “I think they are going to be a team to watch out for in the next few years.”

Nashua South now goes on to the Semifinal round where they will face the winners of the next quarterfinal game between Profile High and ConVal Regional High airing on thursday, April 16 at 8:30 pm on NHPBS.

The name for the reaction that occurs when you mix an acid and a base in the lab is a neutralization reaction.

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 16th 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, play the latest games 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 Uniti l, with additional funding from Safety Insurance and NEA New Hampshire.

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