This week on Granite State Challenge, the Cardinals of Bishop Guertin High School... [applause] take on the Titans of Nashua High School North.

Only one team will advance.

Granite State Challenge starts now.

Major funding for the production of Granite State Challenge is provided by Unitil.

Additional funding provided by Safety Insurance, NEA New Hampshire, and viewers like you.

Thank you!

Get ready.

It's time for New Hampshire high schools to match wits in a high-stakes scholastic showdown.

It's time for Granite State Challenge.

Here's your host, Jon Cannon!

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Granite State Challenge.

We are nearing the end of our quarterfinal round.

Both of these teams with us this week won their first round games, but only one of them is going to make it to the semifinals.

Let's introduce them to you.

First up, we have the team from Bishop Guertin High School.

I'm Mohid, and I'm a senior.

I'm Declan.

I’m also a senior.

I'm Teddy.

I'm a senior.

I'm Aidan.

I'm a senior.

Their alternates are Grant, Carter, and Der[r]e[i][c]k, and the team is coached by Jeannette Riendeau.

And they are the Cardinals of Bishop Guertin High School!

[applause] And their opponents this week are from Nashua High School North.

I'm Ryan.

I'm a senior.

I'm Daniel.

I'm a senior.

I'm Benjamin.

I'm a senior.

I'm Ethan.

I'm a senior.

Their alternate is Marie, and the team is coached by Timothy Bosch.

And they are the titans of Nashua High School North!

[applause] Those are our teams this week, but we do have one more introduction for you.

That is, of course, our judge on the Ann Cam, and Boulanger.

[applause] All right, teams, introductions are out of the way.

Go ahead and grab those signaling devices as we get ready to play some Granite State Challenge.

As you know, we play in four rounds, and in round one, we do ten-point toss-up questions.

So, BG, Nashua North, Good luck.

Here we go.

In the 1924 25 season, two expansion teams joined the original four NHL teams, the Montreal Maroons and this team, which became the league's first American franchise.

Ryan of Nashua North.

Boston Bruins.

That's right.

This 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert is set on the desert planet Arrakis and has the coveted commodity melange, a psychedelic drug that extends life and makes interstellar travel possible.

Benjamin of Nashua North.

Dune.

That's right.

The book fantasy series Warriors by multiple authors using the pseudonym Erin Hunter, follows clans of these animals living wild in the forest.

Benjamin of Nashua North.

Cats.

That's right.

This site in Grafton, New Hampshire, opened in 1805, and was the first commercial mica mine in the United States.

It is now a tourist attraction where you can hunt for and keep any minerals you find.

You could do that up at Ruggles Mine.

All right, teams.

In North America, The United States is divided into 50 states; Canada is divided into ten provinces; and this country is divided into 32 administrative units, including 31 states and one city.

Teddy of Bishop Guertin.

Mexico.

That's right.

This cartoon features three super-powered kindergarten girls created by Professor Utonium.

Aidan of BG.

Powerpuff Girls.

That is right.

All right, teams, we got a math question for you.

You have pencil and paper if you want.

You are taking five friends to a movie.

A ticket costs $9.50.

How much will you spend on the movie for everybody?

Ryan of Nashua North.

$47.50.

Sorry, no.

You got to include yourself; spending 57 bucks on that.

All right, teams, what is it called when a country imports more than it exports?

Daniel of Nashua North.

Trade deficit.

That's right.

In 2022, this fictional bear from Peru had tea with the very real Queen Elizabeth II and offered her a marmalade sandwich, only to discover she already had one in her purse.

Benjamin of Nashua North.

Paddington.

Yes.

All right, teams, it's time for our Unitil Power Question.

This is a 20-point toss-up question coming to you on your monitors.

Take a look.

Hi.

I'm Amanda Vicinanzo with Unitil, and here is your Power Question.

The Rings of Power television series set in Middle Earth is based on the work of this English author.

Daniel of Nashua North.

J.R.R.

Tolkien.

That's right.

In 1893, Lystra Gretter adapted the Hippocratic Oath into this pledge, which nurses still take today, named for a famous British nurse who served during the Crimean War.

Mohid of BG.

Blackwell?

Sorry, no.

North?

Ethan?

Florence Nightingale.

Yeah, we'll take that.

The Nightingale Pledge.

1 in 500 people have an extra rib known as a cervical rib, also known as a neck rib.

If you have a cervical rib, how many ribs do you have?

Ethan of Nashua North.

13.

Sorry, no.

BG?

Mohid?

26.

It's 25.

All right.

Teams, what is the term for organisms that make their own food using sunlight?

Mohid of BG.

Autotrophs?

Yes.

Or producers, we would have taken.

This Beat poet wrote the long controversial poem Howl.

That one’s by Allen Ginsberg.

All right, teams.

Illinois was the first state to establish Martin Luther King Jr.

Day as a state holiday in 1973.

In 1999, this state became the last state to do so.

Mohid of BG.

Hawaii.

Sorry, no.

North?

Ryan?

Alaska.

Sorry, no.

Good old New Hampshire was the last state.

All right, folks, it's time for our Semiquincentennial Moment Question, a 25-point toss-up question on your monitors.

Go ahead and take a look.

Hello.

I'm teacher and author John Herman, and I've got a question for you.

Three future U.S.

presidents fought in the Revolutionary War George Washington, James Monroe, and this man who served with militia units in the Carolinas and became the seventh president and the face you see on the $20 bill.

Teddy of BG.

Jackson.

Yes.

Andrew Jackson's right.

Guitarist Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia were two of the founding members of this jam band known for their long improvisations during live performances.

They were in the Grateful Dead.

As of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, this sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting is the only Winter Olympic event in which the United States has never won a medal.

Declan of BG.

Biathlon.

Biathlon is right.

All right, teams, another math question for you.

A store offers a 20% discount on a $75 jacket.

What is the sale price?

Mohid of BG.

$60.

That is right.

In chapter eight of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, this outdoor game is played with hedgehogs for balls and flamingos for mallets.

Ethan of Nashua North.

Croquet.

Yes.

This country consists of more than 17,500 islands, including Sumatra and Java.

Teddy of BG.

Indonesia.

Yes.

This 1860 novel by Charles Dickens tells the story of an orphaned boy who meets Fagin.

Teddy of BG.

Oliver Twist.

That is right.

In chess, this is the only piece that can jump over another piece.

Mohid of BG.

The knight.

[alarm blaring] The knight is correct.

All right.

That sound ends the game.

And a quick first round, but BG out to a bit of a lead by a score of 105 to 90.

[applause] Great job, teams.

We're going to take a little break in the action and get to know our players a little bit.

We'll start with a team from Bishop Guertin High School.

BG is located in the city of Nashua.

It's got about 800 students, and of that number, we’ll start down here at the end with Aidan, who is a bit of a linguist.

What language are you studying?

Spanish.

And you're using an app to do it.

What's the app?

Duolingo.

Okay, so we had someone on the show a couple weeks ago who's been studying on Duolingo and had a bit of a streak going.

What's your streak?

I think a little over 1,100.

Okay, so a little over 1,100.

So that's 1,100 days straight you have been learning Spanish.

That’s right.

All right.

And so if we brought you to Spain, how would you do?

I think I could find my way around.

I can get to places if I needed to.

You could make your way.

Excellent.

Going to keep it up?

Yeah.

All right, fantastic.

All right.

Joining him is Teddy.

Teddy and I share a love-hate relationship maybe just a hate relationship with GPS.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Why don't you like driving with GPS?

Sounds annoying and it interrupts my music.

And it's more fun to have a relationship.

with the way there and figure it out.

That's right.

It's fun to find your way, isn't it?

Have you always been that way?

Yeah.

Do you like maps?

You look at maps before you go so you kind of know where you’re going?

When I was in second grade, my sisters had a lemonade stand at the end of our road, and I made maps and sold them.

And I sold one to the mailman.

[chuckling] Nice!

Excellent.

Well, I'm sure he could use it.

That is Teddy.

Joining Teddy is Declan.

Just got a question about cross-country skiing.

You're a cross-country skier.

Tell us about it.

Yeah, I'm a cross-country skier.

I do it with the Souhegan team because BG doesn't have a team.

But, yeah, it's a lot of fun.

All right.

When did you start doing that?

About four years ago.

Okay.

My older sister put me on it.

Oh, okay.

Very good, very good.

So, a good season So far.

All right.

Excellent.

And, what do you like better?

I ask this of everybody.

Classic or skate?

I like classic better.

Like classic better.

I'm with you.

I'm kind of with you on that.

All right, that's Declan.

And last is Mohid, a musician in his own right.

What instrument?

I play the trumpet.

Okay.

So do you play it at school for school or outside of school?

Mostly at school.

Okay.

Why the trumpet?

Why did you start with the trumpet?

So, I started in high school, and a lot of my friends were doing it earlier in elementary and middle school.

So that's why I picked it up to be with my friends.

Gotcha.

And, gonna keep doing it, maybe at the next level?

College or beyond?

I hope so, but who knows what the future holds.

Who knows what the future holds?

Well, I know the future has a round two, because this is the team from Bishop Guertin High School!

[applause] All right.

And their opponent this week is the team from Nashua High School North, the Titans.

Also located in Nashua, but a much higher enrollment about 1,650 kids.

And of that number, we've got Ethan down here.

Now, Ethan, last time you were on the show, we talked about your trumpet-playing.

Right?

But you have another hobby that's near and dear to my heart, which is...?

Yeah.

Playing D&D.

I DM the game at the D&D club at high school.

So for the folks at home, D&D stands for...?

Dungeons & Dragons.

So you are a DM at the club at school.

Is this a homebrew campaign that you're making?

Yeah.

All right.

Excellent.

And, how are your players liking it?

They're enjoying it a lot.

All right.

It's a life-long hobby.

It's a great hobby.

Excellent.

All right.

Joining him is Ben.

Also a musician, but plays a lot of different instruments.

What different instruments you play?

I play four different instruments.

I play the guitar; I play the piano; I play trumpet; and saxophone.

Okay.

Guitar, piano, trumpet, saxophone.

So we’ve got trumpet.

Saxophone.

Again, I'll ask, are you doing this in school band or are you doing this, sort of, outside of school?

Outside of school.

I'm not in the school band.

A couple of my friends are in a band.

They just graduated last year.

And our contestant that was on the show last time, Colin Scribner, me and him play music together very often.

We are playing on the Senior Night live show.

We're going to be playing live music for the school.

Nice!

So you're rocking out with your friends?

That's awesome.

I always tell people, You play guitar, join a band.

All right.

Daniel is an aspiring comic-maker.

How did you get into comics?

I've been drawing since the age of five, you know, and then, when I was playing as a kid, I always like to make stories.

So, I kind of just naturally evolved into making comics.

Any specific or particular genre or all of the above?

Mostly fiction, fantasy, things like that.

All right.

Anything published yet?

Nothing published.

Not yet.

Hopefully one day.

I look forward to reading it.

All right.

And last but not least, Ryan has a fairly common pet with an adorable name.

What do you got?

I got a guinea pig named Coco.

A guinea pig named Coco!

How did Coco join the family?

So I think it was 2021.

It was like a week before Christmas.

Walked in the door one day, and there's just a cage there.

Just a cage with Coco.

Yeah.

He's been with the family ever since.

He has.

All right, I love it.

All right.

That is Ryan, and this is the team from Nashua High School North!

[applause] All right, teams, thanks for that break in the action.

We're going to roll right into round two, which is our three strikes and you're out round.

So in this round, each team gets ten questions, and they answer them one by one going right down the line, player by player.

We'll give you ten points for each correct response.

And we'll keep going until all ten questions are asked or until three strikes and you're out.

Just as a reminder, each team, you have three passes that you can use to pass to the teammate next to you.

And be on the lookout, because every question has a clue to the next question in it.

So, we'll do it alphabetically.

BG, that means we start with you.

And Mohid, this is your question.

This large marine mammal feeds on krill and can grow up to 100 ft in length, making it the largest animal ever known to have existed on Earth.

Pass.

Pass.

Teddy The blue whale.

Blue whale is correct.

Aidan, to you.

Moby Dick was a white whale and the obsession of Captain Ahab in a novel by this author.

Pass to Mohid.

Herman Melville.

Correct.

Declan, your question.

Herman's Hermits had a hit song in 1965 that was about a man who was the eighth husband of a widow next door, and not about this king with six wives.

[I’m Henry the VIII, I am].

Correct.

Teddy.

Henry VIII beheaded two of his six wives Catherine Howard, who was his fifth wife, and this woman, who was his second wife.

Elizabeth?

No, it is Anne Boleyn.

Aidan.

In the 2008 movie The Other Boleyn Girl, Scarlett Johansen played Mary Boleyn and Natalie Portman, known for her role as Padmé Amidala in this movie franchise, played Anne Boleyn.

Star Wars.

Correct.

Mohid.

Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, was briefly married to this singer-songwriter who teamed with Art Garfunkel to create hits such as Bridge over Troubled Water and The Boxer.

Ummm... McCartney.

Sorry, it is Paul Simon.

Declan, to you.

After Paul McCartney left of the Beatles, he formed the band Wings and wrote the song Live and Let Die for the 1973 film of the same name which features this British spy.

James Bond.

Correct.

Teddy.

Pam Bondi was named to this cabinet position in 2025 by President Trump.

Secretary of the Interior?

Sorry, no.

She's the attorney general.

And that is the third strike and the end of your round.

[applause] [applause] All right, Nashua North, we turn our attention to you.

Same drill.

And, Ryan, we'll start with you.

This is your question.

First aired in 1964, Flipper was a TV series about this marine mammal that is known for leaping out of the water and traveling in pods Pass.

Pass to Daniel.

Dolphin.

Dolphin is right.

Benjamin, to you.

The title character in this classic rock opera by The Who is a pinball wizard with crazy flipper fingers.

It is Tommy.

Ethan, to you.

Tommy Lee Jones played Agent K in this 1997 movie about a secret government agency that deals with extraterrestrials on Earth.

Pass.

Pass to Ryan.

Pass.

Pass to Daniel.

Men in Black.

Men in Black is right.

Benjamin, back to you.

This singer known for songs like Ring of Fire and I Walk the Line is often called the Man in Black.

Looking for Johnny Cash on that one.

Ethan, to you.

In 2025, Kash Patel was named head of this government agency.

FBI.

Correct.

Ryan, to you.

On March 14th, 1950, the FBI officially announced the creation of the Ten Most Wanted list under the direction of this director of the agency.

Johnson.

It is J. Edgar Hoover, and that is your third strike and the end of your round.

[applause] All right, teams, we're going to get started for round three.

Alternates, I'd like to invite you to come on up and join your teams as we get ready for the 60-second round.

In our 60-second round, each team will get ten questions in a category.

They can talk together and work together as a team.

And as the team trailing, Nashua North, we're going to start with you.

So, Ryan, you can talk to your team and choose from our categories this week.

They are Three M, Royal Colors, and A Matter of the Heart.

What do you say, Ryan?

Three M. Three M, okay.

In this category, the answers to the following will all include at least three letter Ms.

Okay.

So again, Ryan, you can talk to your team.

I will take your answer as the team answer.

60 seconds.

Start the clock.

ABBA-inspired musical starring Meryl Streep.

Mamma Mia!

Correct.

Another name for a graduation ceremony beginning with the letter C. Pass.

It is commencement.

Political system rooted in the theories of Karl Marx.

Marxism.

It is communism.

Fur-covered animals.

Mammals.

Yes.

Giant fur-covered mammal related to elephants or something very large.

Mammoths.

Yes.

Comedy by Shakespeare featuring Puck.

It is A Midsummar Night’s Dream.

the opposite of your daddy?

Mommy.

Correct.

After he died, King Tut became one of these.

Mummy.

Correct.

The least of something, like a wage or a speed.

Minimum.

Yes.

The most of something.

Maximum.

Correct.

That is the 10th question.

And, how many?

Eight out of ten?

How many?

Seven out of ten on your 60-second round.

All right, BG, we turn our attention to you.

And Mohid, you're talking to your team.

You could choose from either Royal Colors or A Matter of the Heart.

Royal Colors.

Royal Colors, okay.

So, in this category, the answers to all the following will be related to the color purple or its shades.

Okay?

So, again, Mohid, you can talk to your team, but I will take your answer as the team answer.

60 seconds.

Start the clock.

Novel by Alice Walker.

Purple Hibiscus.

Sorry, it's The Color Purple.

Precipitation song by Prince.

Purple Rain.

Yes.

French-style of hat in this song by Prince.

Purple Beret.

It is Raspberry Beret.

Cheerful dinosaur in a PBS Kids series.

Barney.

Yes.

President Trump shot a commercial with this purple McDonald's character.

Grimace.

Yes.

One-eyed, one-horned alien in a 1958 song by Sheb Wooley.

album Peopl Say Flying purple people eater [The Purple People Eater].

Correct.

Competitive gum-chewing character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Violet.

Yeah, we'll take that.

Violet Beauregarde.

He drew an imaginary world with a purple crayon in a 1955 children's book.

Harold.

Yes.

This is the state bird of New Hampshire.

Purple finch.

Yes.

Medal awarded for being injured in war.

Purple Heart.

Purple Heart is correct, and we'll give a second to add them all up.

A fast round.

Eight out of ten on your 60-second round!

[applause] Thank you, alternates.

You can go ahead and grab your seats as we get ready for round four.

In round four of Granite State Challenge, we're going to pick back up with our toss-up questions, but we're going to be doubling the point value to 20 and we will be deducting 20 points for incorrect responses.

So playing smart and strategic in a close match, BG and North.

Good luck.

Here we go.

Your first question is a picture question, so go ahead and take a look at your monitors.

This bear found mainly in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, is named not for being slow or lazy, but because people thought that, with its long claws and shaggy coat, it resembled a South American tree-dwelling mammal.

Ryan of Nashua North.

Sloth bear.

That's right.

This narrow body of water separates Europe and Africa and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

Daniel of Nashua North.

Nile River.

Sorry, no.

BG?

Teddy?

Strait of Gibraltar.

Yes, that is correct.

Henry David Thoreau, who wrote Walden about his experiences living alone on Walden Pond, also wrote about an 1839 journey with his brother on this 117- mile-long river that runs through Concord, Manchester, and Nashua, New Hampshire.

Teddy of BG.

Merrimack River.

That's right.

All right, teams, our next question is a video question coming to you on your monitors from New Hampshire's Kid Governor.

Take a look.

Hi.

I'm Liv Crete-Sayer, New Hampshire's 2026 Kid Governor, and here's my question for you.

The first governor to be elected president of the United States was Thomas Jefferson.

Who was the last governor to be elected president.

You got to go back a few to George W. Bush.

All right, teams, a jar contains five red jelly beans, which you love, and three black jelly beans, which you don't love.

What is the probability of drawing a red jelly bean?

Voted of BG.

Five over eight.

Yes.

This slow-moving reptile is the only venomous lizard native to the United States.

Looking for the Gila monster on that one.

Published in 1869, this novel by Leo Tolstoy chronicles Napoleon's invasion of Russia.

Teddy of BG.

War and Peace.

Correct.

All right, take another look at your monitors, teams.

You are looking at an 1872 painting by William Trost Richards of this mountain pass in the White Mountains which stretches approximately eight miles and is known for its scenic views, hiking trails, Flume Gorge, and, before it fell, a view of the Old Man of the Mountain.

Declan of BG.

Franconia Notch.

That is right.

In the 2003 movie Finding Nemo, Nemo is this specoes of brightly-colored fish commonly found in Indo-Pacific coral reefs.

Ryan of Nashua North.

Clownfish.

That's right.

Voiced by Pat Carroll in the 1989 Disney animated film, and played by Melissa McCarthy in the 2023 live action remake, the main villain of The Little Mermaid is this sea witch.

Teddy of Bishop Guertin.

Ursula.

Yes.

Canadian rapper Drake gained international fame with his 2018 album named for a desert arachnid with a venomous stinger on the end of its curved tail.

Daniel of Nashua North.

Scorpion.

Yes.

This organelle is responsible for protein synthesis.

Mohid of BG.

Ribosome.

Yes.

This composer has worked with director Steven Spielberg on all but five of his theatrical releases, beginning with The Sugarland Express in 1974.

He won Academy Awards for his work on Jaws, E.T.

the Extra-Terrestrial, and Schindler's List.

Mohid of BG.

Williams.

John Williams is right.

In 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into these two countries.

Teddy of BG.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia.

That's right.

The Opium Wars in the 19th century were fought between Great Britain and this country.

Benjamin of Nashua North.

China.

Yes.

This could be a spicy Latin dance style known for fast hip movement or a spicy condiment.

Benjamin of Nashua North.

Salsa.

Salsa is right.

[alarm blaring] This composition didn’t quite get there.

And with a good final round, Bishop Guertin will be moving on to the semifinals!

[applause] Great game this week, BG.

We'll see you in a few weeks for your semifinal match.

And Nashua North, congratulations on your first round win, but tough loss today.

We hope you had fun being here.

We had fun having you here.

And we had fun having you here as well.

We hope you tune in next week for our first semifinal match That pits the teams from Nashua South and Profile High School.

We'll see you then.

And as I like to say, I learned something, and I hope you did as well.

We'll see you next time.

Major funding for their production of Granite State Challenge is provided by Unitil.

Additional funding provided by Safety Insurance, NEA New Hampshire, and viewers like you.

Thank you!

♪