Nashua South High School took home its third championship trophy after beating Plymouth Regional High School in this season’s “Granite State Challenge” championship game.
With a final score of 700 to 415, Nashua South’s Purple Panthers defeated the Plymouth Regional Bobcats in the final game of the 44th season of the hit TV quiz show, which aired May 21 on New Hampshire PBS.
“As another incredible season comes to a close, we would like to congratulate Nashua South on its impressive victory. Clinching the championship title is really a testament to the students’ knowledge, preparation, and teamwork they’ve shown throughout the season,” Unitil External Affairs Manager Amanda Vicinanzo said. “The students on the runner-up team from Plymouth Regional should also be proud of their achievement. Anyone who has competed on ‘Granite State Challenge’ knows that reaching the championship round is no small feat. All of these young players demonstrate a remarkable level of dedication and talent.”
Unitil is a lead sponsor of this long-running New Hampshire game show, which features high school students from across the state putting their academic knowledge to the ultimate test. “Granite State Challenge” requires players to demonstrate quick reflexes and factual recall in all major disciplines - math, science, social studies, language arts, and fine arts. The teams are also questioned about current events, entertainment, sports, and topics specific to New Hampshire.
Nashua South’s big win comes a decade after the school captured its first championship title in 2016. The school claimed the title again in 2017.
“Every game of Granite State Challenge reflects the extraordinary dedication, preparation, and teamwork these students bring to the competition all season long,” said NHPBS President and CEO Peter Frid. “Watching both Nashua South and Plymouth Regional compete at such a high level in the championship match was truly impressive. We congratulate Nashua South on earning the Granite State Challenge title, and we are incredibly honored to have all of this season’s teams participate in this long-standing New Hampshire tradition."
Members of the Purple Panthers team were seniors Henry Long, the team captain, Eric Picanco and Thanasi Miris; sophomore Charlie Long; and team alternates Jerry Primo, a senior, and Lexie Ross, a sophomore. The team was coached by Social Studies teacher Lex Duval and English teacher Kelli Thornhill-Telerski.
Duval congratulated the players on earning the championship title, praised them for their outstanding teamwork, and recognized Picanco for the many hours that he spent compiling questions from more than 100 episodes as his teammates practiced for the season.
“They want to be better. They want to practice. They want to be around each other. We typically have four practices a week because they not only enjoy the game, but they also enjoy each other’s company,” Duval said.
While the players can have pressure-packed moments at times, they said they never let their nerves get the best of them.
“I was nervous at first, but as the round went on I got more and more confident,” Picanco said.
Long said he was also a bit nervous, but he really wasn’t worried because he knew he was on a great team.
“If I don’t know something, I usually don’t have to worry,” he said.
Miris said it all comes down to the buzzer.
“I think most of the battle was trying to get that buzzer timing and I know that’s something I really struggled with this season. I think most of us, regardless of whether either side knew what the answer was going to be, that was just half the battle, but overall this season we’ve grown a lot more comfortable with our playing style together and being on set together,” he said.
Henry Long, the team captain, said his teammates worked well together and enjoyed learning from each other.
“I’m super excited. We’ve just been a really good team this year. I look forward to our practices all the time. It’s nice to just have a place that you can go during the week and just have fun and also be productive. I’m so happy that this is the way it ended, but I’m sad that it’s ending, too,” he said.
For more information on “Granite State Challenge,” visit nhpbs.org/gsc.
