Bishop Guertin and Plymouth Regional Battle for a Spot in the Finals on Granite State Challenge

Durham, NH (May 12, 2026) - The Cardinals of Bishop Guertin battle the Plymouth Regional Bobcats in the last GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE semifinal game on Thursday, May 14 at 8:30 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS.

The Bishop Guertin Cardinals are led by captain and 12th-grader Mohid Khan and feature a lineup of fellow seniors Declan Pyles, Teddy Bond and Aidan Coffey. Supporting the team are alternates 12th-grader Carter Rick, 10th-graders Grant Leonardi and Derek Chen. The Cardinals are coached by English teachers Katie Graham and Jeannette Riendeau and represent a school of 800 students in Hillsborough County, serving communities across Nashua, Merrimack, Bedford, Hudson, Hollis and Pelham. The Cardinals were Granite State Challenge champions in 1987 and 2015.

The Bishop Guertin team had a balanced mindset going into their semifinal game. “We don’t want to be arrogant like we’re going to win, and we don’t want to be too nervous when we just fold under pressure,” said captain Mohid Khan. “I think we have a good mindset, feeling confident enough, but also not too nervous.”

“We know we’re going up against really strong teams,” said Bishop Guertin coach Katie Graham. “We’re taking the attitude that everybody knows the answer. But who is going to be the first to buzz in and give the correct answer?”

The Plymouth Bobcats are captained by 11th-grader Abe Hankens alongside fellow 11th-graders Yuriy Paul and Ezra Amsden and 9th-grader Cam Cawley. Supporting the team are alternates, 10th-grader Leif Eisenbarth and 9th-graders Olivia Brayfield and Aurora Ricker. The Bobcats are coached by Jay Fogarty, a Drafting teacher, and Troy Harris, a World Languages teacher. Plymouth Regional High enrolls 640 students in Grafton County that serves Plymouth, Ashland, Holderness, Campton, Rumney, Wentworth, Ellsworth, Waterville Valley, and Thornton. Plymouth Regional High School is a three-time GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE champion, winning titles in 1996, 2013, and 2019 and has appeared in the final match in 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2024.

Heading into the second semifinal game, the newly minted Plymouth team is ready to bring their A-game. “Last year we had a team of all seniors except for me,” said Plymouth team captain Abe Hankens. “So, we have a whole new team this year, and we’re all getting to know each other which has been a lot of fun.”

Plymouth Regional coach Jay Fogarty doesn’t have a set roster and tries different players during practices and games to build his team. “Every year you probably graduate some people, and if you graduate all seniors then you are left with people who have never played the show before,” said Fogarty. “And then you are at square one, so it’s really nice to have players who have played before.”

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 semifinal game on GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE, Thursday, May 14 at 8:30 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS. 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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