Bow And Hopkinton High Schools To Compete On New Hampshire PBS Granite State Challenge

DURHAM, NH — The academic competition heats up this week as Bow High School and Hopkinton High School prepare to face off in the Granite State Challenge.

The match is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, on New Hampshire PBS. This event marks the sixth game of the current season for the long-running academic quiz show. The program features students from across the state demonstrating quick recall in subjects including math, science, social studies, language arts, and fine arts.

Jon Cannon, a teacher and former participant in the series, serves as the host for the competition.

The Bow High Falcons, representing a school of 650 students, enter the match with a lineup led by 12th-grader Matthew Kropp. The team included 11th-grader Matthew Mampuzha and 9th-graders Ollie White and Max Lewis. Coach Michelle Hlavaz said she was optimistic about the students.

“As a group, they have most of the categories covered,” Hlavaz said. “They work well as a team, and they’re just a great group of kids.”

Kropp noted the team possesses a broad range of skill sets.

“I think we’ve got a pretty broad range of skill sets,” Kropp said. “I’m very strong all around. My coach always says I pull the answers out of nowhere. Mythology is a wild card of mine, along with general knowledge and pop culture.”

The Hopkinton Hawks, representing a school of 271 students, are captained by 11th-grader Lucy Beardmore. The team features 12th-graders Tad Stokes and Fin Murphy and 11th-grader William Shepard. Coach Liam Callahan said his students have prepared extensively for the buzzer-based format.

“We have one student who has watched pretty much every old game that is available online and will answer questions correctly because he remembered that question from a game four years ago,” Callahan said. “We also have a couple of students who are really quick with the buzzer and hopefully they can rack up some decent points.”

A big Jeopardy! fan, Beardmore expressed confidence ahead of the broadcast.

“I think we feel like we have nothing to lose,” she said. “We are like a fresh team and we’ve been practicing a ton, so I think we’re ready.”

Viewers can watch the episode on New Hampshire PBS or stream it via the PBS App, the NHPBS YouTube channel, or the official website.