This week on "Granite State Challenge," the Blue Hawks of Exeter High School take on the Plymouth Regional High School Bobcats.

[applause] Only one team will win.

"Granite State Challenge" starts now.

[music playing] Major funding for the production of "Granite State Challenge" is provided by Unitil.

Additional funding provided by NEA New Hampshire, Safety Insurance, New Hampshire Lottery, DF Richard Energy, HRCU, Cognia, 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.

[applause] Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Granite State Challenge."

If you've been joining us so far this season, you know that we've made some changes around here.

We've asked our players to wear masks.

We've made some changes to the set, and we have only the coaches and alternates as the audience.

And these are protections we're putting in place for the sake of our players, as well as our crew.

We've also made some changes in round three of our game, but I'll talk about that a little bit later on in the show.

The reason why we're here is we have two great teams here ready to do battle to see who's going to make it to the next round of "Granite State Challenge."

Let's introduce them to you, shall we?

First up, we have the Blue Hawks of Exeter High School.

I'm Sonya.

I'm a senior, and I play trombone.

I'm Pascal.

I'm a junior, and my pronouns are they/them.

I'm Kyle.

I'm a senior at Exeter High School, and I also participate in FIRST LEGO robotics.

I'm Caris.

I'm a junior, and I have three nationalities.

All right.

Excellent.

The team alternate is Finn, and the team is coached by Aaron Blais.

And they are the Blue Hawks of Exeter High School.

[applause] Ready to take them on are the Bobcats of Plymouth Regional High School.

I'm Mason.

I'm a senior, and although I've been on the team three times, this is my first time at the podium.

Hi, I'm Connie.

I am a senior, and I play eight instruments.

Hi, my name is Cade Earick.

I'm a senior at Plymouth Regional, and my song, "Drown," is currently a semifinalist in the International Songwriting Competition.

I'm Khalil.

I'm a freshman, and I'm the last person on the planet to still appreciate Freud.

All right.

The team is coached by Jay Fogarty, and the team alternates are Catherine and Natalie.

And they are the Plymouth Regional High School Bobcats.

[applause] All right.

Nice to meet you, teams.

We do have one more introduction, and that is, of course, our judge, Ann Boulanger.

[applause] All right, teams.

Introductions are out of the way.

We're going to dive right into the game.

So in "Granite State Challenge," we play in four rounds.

And in round one, we're doing 10 point toss up questions.

So Exeter, Plymouth, good luck.

Here we go.

This herbivore kills more people in Africa than all the lions, elephants, and water buffaloes combined.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Hippopotamus.

[ding] Yes.

President Trump met with this North Korean leader in 2018 and 2019.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

Kim Jong-un.

Sorry, no.

[buzzer] Connie of Plymouth?

Kim Jong-un.

Sorry, it's Kim Jong-il.

[buzzer] Everything we know about this Greek philosopher comes from the accounts and writings of others, including his students, Plato and Xenephon.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Socrates.

Yes.

[ding] Teams, what is the name given to a four sided polygon with all sides equal but having no 90 degree angles?

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Rhombus.

Yes.

[ding] This teenager, often called the female Paul Revere, rode her horse, Star, over 40 miles, banging on windows with a stick to warn that the British were going to raid Danbury, Connecticut.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Mary Abbott.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

[bell ringing] Correct response is Sybil Ludington.

All right, teams.

You will find a large mountain carving of this Lakotan leader in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

[bell ringing] You'll find a statue of Crazy Horse.

This 1,450 mile long river runs through the Grand Canyon.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

The Colorado River.

That's the one.

This Boston Red Sox left fielder, known as Yaz, is the Red Sox all time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, doubles, and at-bats.

[musical scale] Cade of Plymouth.

Smith.

Sorry, no.

[buzzer] [bell ringing] It was Carl Yastrzemski.

Carl Yastrzemski.

All right, teams.

This education system that emphasizes independence and sees children as natural, eager, and self-starting learners was developed by this Italian physician.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Montessori.

[ding] That's it.

She was the first Black woman to serve in the United States Congress, and in 1972, she became the first woman to seek the Democratic party's presidential nomination.

[musical scale] Kyle of Exeter.

Kamala Harris, I-- Sorry.

[buzzer] Nope, that's incorrect.

[bell ringing] It was Shirley Chisholm.

All right, teams.

This investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is sometimes referred to as the Oracle of Omaha.

[bell ringing] And that is Warren Buffett.

This Swedish environmental activist was named Time's Person of the Year in 2019.

[musical scale] Cade of Plymouth.

Thunberg.

[ding] Yes, we'll give that to you.

This is the name of the Roman goddess of agriculture, and the name of a dwarf planet found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

Demeter.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Damos.

[buzzer] Sorry, it's Ceres.

Ceres.

Singer Miley Cyrus played this title character in a Disney kids show from 2006 to 2011.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Hannah Montana.

[ding] She's the one.

Teams, how many basic positions are there in ballet?

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Five.

There are five, indeed.

[buzzer] That's correct.

This children's show host sang about a beautiful day in the neighborhood at the opening of each show.

[musical scale] Cade of Plymouth.

Mister Rogers.

Mister Rogers, yes.

[ding] This American, who invented the cotton gin, also manufactured muskets for the US Army.

[musical scale] Caris of Exeter.

Eli Whitney.

Yes.

[ding] Former Texas Governor Rick Perry headed this department under the Trump administration.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Agriculture.

Sorry, no.

[buzzer] Exeter?

[bell ringing] He headed up the Energy Department.

All right, teams.

In musical notation, how many horizontal lines are in a staff?

[musical scale] Connie of Plymouth.

Five.

Yes.

[ding] The Queen song, "Bohemian Rhapsody," released on the 1975 album, "Night at the Opera," peaked at number nine on the US charts.

17 years later, it was number two on the Billboard Hot 100 after being used in this film.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

"Wayne's World."

Yes.

[ding] Many of this English writer's works, like "A Room with a View," "Howards End," and "A Passage to India," have been made into films.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Hathaway.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

[bell ringing] Correct response is E.M. Forster.

All right, teams.

Our next question is our Unitil Power Question.

It will come to you on your monitors, and it is worth an extra 10 points, so a 20 point toss up question.

Take a look.

This prolific Victorian English author wrote some of his works under the name Boz.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Charles Dickens.

[ding] That's the one.

In 1974, in response to oil shortages, the national maximum speed limit prohibited travel on any state road over this speed.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

25.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

Khalil of Plymouth.

60.

[buzzer] No, close.

It was 55.

55 miles per hour.

All right, teams.

The International Red Cross is headquartered in this Swiss city.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Geneva [ding] Yes.

This type of ice that forms from the rapid freezing of super cooled water onto an object is a common sight at the Mount Washington Observatory.

[musical scale] Kyle of Exeter.

Rime.

[ding] Rime ice is correct.

Before he became President of France in 1959, this man led the government-in-exile Free France.

[alarm] We're not going to get to the answer to that.

It was Charles de Gaulle.

And after one round, by a score of 140 to 20, Plymouth out to an early lead.

[applause] All right.

Great job, teams, in round one.

Before we go into round two, just a quick correction.

Exeter, you did give us a correct response on President Trump visiting the North Korean leader.

It was Kim Jong-un, so we're going to add 10 points to your score.

So your score is now correct.

And we're going to head right into round two, teams.

All right.

In round two, we continue with our toss up questions.

We're going to double the point value, so round two are 20 point toss up questions.

Exeter and Plymouth, you ready?

All right.

Here we go.

This Baroque composer wrote the Brandenburg Concertos and the Well Tempered Clavier.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Bach.

[ding] Yes.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu's father, John H Sununu, served as governor of New Hampshire and as White House Chief of Staff to this president.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

George H.W.

Bush.

[ding] He's the right one.

In 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed this river and started a civil war.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

The Tiber.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

Khalil of Plymouth.

The Rhine.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

He crossed the Rubicon.

All right, teams.

How many meters are in 4.1 kilometers?

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

4,100.

[ding] That's it.

This English mathematician and scientist delineated the three laws of motion in "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" published in 1687.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

Newton.

[ding] Isaac Newton is right.

The Bailiwick of Jersey off the coast of France is the largest in this group of islands, which while not a part of the United Kingdom are crown dependencies.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

Wales.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Sandwich Islands.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

We're looking for the Channel Islands.

All right, teams.

For this next question, go ahead and take a look at your monitors.

This dime sized insect is the state butterfly of New Hampshire.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

The white and gold butterfly.

[buzzer] Nope.

That's a good guess.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

The painted butterfly.

[buzzer] Both good guesses.

It is actually the Karner blue butterfly.

In 1901, a well at this oil field in Beaumont, Texas struck oil, leading to the formation of the Texaco and Gulf Oil companies and the beginning of the Texas oil boom.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

The Gulf of Mexico.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

[bell ringing] The well was at a place called Spindletop.

All right, teams.

Rapper Tramar Lacel Dillard, best known for his 2007 song, "Low," is better known by this name, which honors his state of birth.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

Flo Rida.

Flo Rida is right.

In 2015, this singer songwriter uploaded the song, "Ocean Eyes," which was written and produced by her brother, Finneas O'Connell, to SoundCloud.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

Billie Eilish.

Yes.

[ding] At the time of its opening in 1883, this bridge, spanning the East River in New York, was the world's longest suspension bridge.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

The Washington Bridge.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

[bell ringing] It's the Brooklyn Bridge.

Humans are the host for cimex lectularius, a blood sucking insect better known by this common name, and what children are warned not to let bite them when they sleep tight.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

Bedbugs.

[ding] That's it.

The flag of this state includes the words "Battle Born," because it became a state in 1864 during the Civil War.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

West Virginia.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

[musical scale] Pascal of Exeter.

North Carolina.

[buzzer] No.

Good guesses.

It was Nevada.

Nevada.

This French fashion designer, who is credited with freeing women from the corset, likely worked with the Nazis in Occupied France during World War II.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Chanel.

[ding] Coco Chanel, yes.

In ancient Greece, hippodromes were stadiums where these animals raced.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Horses.

[ding] Horses is right.

Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, is located in this country.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Saudi Arabia.

That's it.

[ding] This-- [alarm] Well, we're going to save that question until round four.

And after two rounds, Plymouth hanging on to its lead by a score of 260 to 110.

[applause] All right, teams.

Nice job in rounds one and two.

We're going to move into round three, which we are calling our three strikes and you're out round.

Each team will be given 10 questions in the category, and we'll go right down the line, each player getting one question, OK?

Captains, you will be selecting the categories.

And, Exeter, as the team trailing, you get to choose first.

So, Sonya, you get to choose from these categories-- The Ayes Have It, All About the Jeans, and I Want Candy.

I want candy.

OK.

I do, as well.

So here we go.

Sonya, we'll start with you, and we'll go right down the line.

10 points for each correct response.

Here we go.

This could be a candy bar or a galaxy, Sonya.

The Milky Way.

Milky Way is correct.

Pascal, this could be a chocolate treat or a character from a Beverly Clearly novel.

[bell ringing] It is Fudge.

[buzzer] Kyle, this could be a big lie or a malted milk ball.

[bell ringing] You get them on Halloween.

It's the Whopper.

Caris, this could be a round candy or a character from "Peanuts."

[bell ringing] What we were looking for there was Peppermint Patty.

So after three strikes, one correct response on your three strikes, and you're out round.

[applause] All right, Plymouth, we turn to you.

Same deal.

Mason, you get to choose from The Ayes Have It and All about the Jeans I think we're going to go with All About the Jeans.

All About the Jeans, excellent.

All right.

The answers to the following will be individuals named either Jean or the French pronunciation, "Zhan."

OK, Jean or "Zhan."

All right.

Mason, she is a New Hampshire Senator.

Jeanne Shaheen.

Correct.

Connie, he is the captain of the Starship Enterprise.

[bell ringing] It's Jean-Luc Picard.

Cade, he was an actor and dancer famous for singing in the rain.

Gene Roddenberry.

Sorry, it was Gene Kelly.

[buzzer] Khalil, he is the protagonist in Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables."

Jean Valjean.

Correct.

Mason, back to you.

He was the lead singer for the band, Kiss.

Oh, god.

Gene Wilder?

No.

[buzzer] No, it was Gene Simmons.

And that is your third strike, so after your three strikes, two correct responses in your three strikes round.

[applause] All right, teams.

Some tough categories there, but no worries.

We're going to jump back into the toss up questions for round four.

And, of course, in round four, we not only continue with 20 point toss up questions, but we will be deducting 20 points for incorrect responses.

So play smart, play strategic.

Exeter, Plymouth, good luck.

Here we go.

This private eye was the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, "The Maltese Falcon."

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

Sam Spade.

Yes.

[ding] In 2003, the New Hampshire Episcopalian dioceses elected this man as their bishop, making him the first openly gay bishop in a major Christian denomination.

[bell ringing] His name, Gene Robinson.

Teams, this island country in southern Europe was a British Colony from 1813 to 1964.

Its capital is Valletta.

[musical scale] Khalil.

Malta.

[ding] Correct.

What branch of math focuses on the relationships between the side lengths and angles of triangles?

[musical scale] Caris of Exeter.

Geometry.

Sorry, no.

[buzzer] Mason of Plymouth.

Trigonometry.

[ding] Yeah, looking for something a little more specific there.

Trigonometry is correct.

This Belgian priest who worked as a missionary in Hawaii, caring for people with leprosy, died from the disease in 1889.

[bell ringing] He was known as Father Damien.

This singer songwriter's 2013 song, "All of Me," is dedicated to his wife, Chrissy Teigen.

[musical scale] Cade of Plymouth.

John Legend.

Yes.

[ding] The upper peninsula of this state is separated from the lower peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Michigan.

Yes.

[ding] This thin strand of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina stretches for over 200 miles and includes Roanoke Island and Kill Devil Hills.

[bell ringing] You've heard of them collectively as the Outer Banks.

All right, teams.

This cartoonist created the characters Morticia, Gomez, and Uncle Fester.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Charles Addams.

Correct.

[ding] This body of water is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti.

[musical scale] Kyle of Exeter.

The Red Sea.

Correct.

[ding] Before he wrote his first novel, "The Sun Also Rises," this writer was an ambulance driver in World War I and a reporter for "The Kansas City Star."

[musical scale] Connie of Plymouth.

Steinbeck.

[buzzer] Sorry.

no.

[musical scale] Caris of Exeter.

Hemingway.

[ding] That's the right one.

In 1903, when Topsy the elephant was electrocuted at Coney Island, New York, the event was filmed by this man's film company.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Edison.

[ding] Edison's right.

This New York City borough is home to the New York Yankees.

[bell ringing] They play in the Bronx.

This former US President has spent much of his retirement years building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

[bell ringing] Jimmy Carter is the former president who's building houses.

All right, teams.

This country declared independence from Pakistan in 1971.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Bangladesh.

[ding] Correct.

The eastern population of this North American insect with black veined orange wings overwinters in Mexico and Florida and is the state butterfly of Vermont.

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Monarch butterfly.

[ding] Yes.

This Led Zeppelin guitarist was a member of the Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968 and is considered one of the most influential and greatest guitarists of all time.

[musical scale] Cade of Plymouth.

Page.

[ding] Jimmy Page, yes.

This Bedford, New Hampshire native was a writer and featured player on "Saturday Night Live" for one season, and then she was fired.

[musical scale] Cade of Plymouth.

Silverman.

[ding] Sarah Silverman, yes.

This man, who was a trusted Major General in the Continental Army, planned to surrender the fort at West Point to the British.

[musical scale] Caris of Exeter.

Benedict Arnold.

[ding] Yes, he's the one.

This is what you might call something out of reach or a 2013 song by Fitz and The Tantrums.

[musical scale] Sonya of Exeter.

"Out of My League."

Yes.

[ding] This British poet is known for works like "Timbuctoo" and "The Charge of the Light Brigade."

[musical scale] Mason of Plymouth.

Longfellow.

[buzzer] Sorry, no.

[bell ringing] It's Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

This woman served as the governor of Wyoming from 1925 to 1927 and as Director of the US Mint from 1933 to 1953.

[bell ringing] And her name is Nellie Tayloe Ross.

This puppeteer created the characters Kermit, Rowlf the Dog, and Ernie.

[musical scale] Khalil of Plymouth.

Jim Henson.

Yes.

[ding] While her younger brother Felix may be better known, this woman was also an accomplished pianist and composer.

[bell ringing] The name we were looking for is Fanny Mendelssohn.

In botany and zoology, the letter L is used to indicate that this Swedish naturalist is responsible for a species name and classification.

[alarm] The correct response there is Carl Linnaeus, and that sound ends our game.

And it looks like Plymouth will be moving on to the next round by a score of 460 to 200.

[applause] All right.

Congratulations, Plymouth, nice win.

We will see you in a couple of weeks.

Exeter, nice game.

Thanks so much for coming out.

We hope you had fun.

And we hope you had fun at home, as well.

We do hope you join us next week when the Bobcats of Oyster River High School take on the Clippers of Portsmouth High School.

But that'll do it for us this week on "Granite State Challenge."

We hope you had fun.

We hope you learned a lot.

I did, and I hope you did, too.

We'll see you next time.

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

Additional funding provided by NEA New Hampshire, Safety Insurance New Hampshire Lottery, JF Richard Energy, HRCU, Cognia, and viewers like you.

Thank you.

[music playing]