DURHAM, NH — Nashua South High School won the 2026 Granite State Challenge championship, defeating Plymouth Regional High School 700 to 415 in a fast-paced final.
The win gave Nashua South its third championship on the New Hampshire PBS academic quiz show, following earlier titles in 2016 and 2017.
Captain Henry Long, a 12th-grader, led the Purple Panthers. The team also included 12th-graders Eric Picanco and Thanasi Miris and 10th-grader Charlie Long, with Jerry Primo, a 12th-grader, and Lexie Ross, a 10th-grader, serving as alternates. Nashua South was coached by Social Studies teacher Lex Duval and English teacher Kelli Thornhill-Telerski. The school enrolls 1,635 students.
Plymouth Regional was captained by 11th-grader Abe Hankens. Team members included 11th-grader Yuriy Paul, 9th-grader Olivia Brayfield, and 11th-grader Ezra Amsden. Alternates were 10th-grader Leif Eisenbarth and 9th-graders Aurora Ricker and Cam Cawley. The Bobcats were coached by Drafting teacher Jay Fogarty and World Languages teacher Troy Harris. Plymouth Regional enrolls about 640 students from Plymouth, Ashland, Holderness, Campton, Rumney, Wentworth, Ellsworth, Waterville Valley and Thornton.
Nashua South took the lead about halfway through the first round and ended it ahead 130 to 85. Plymouth Regional struggled in the three-strikes round, answering two correctly to Nashua South's six. Both teams then scored nine out of 10 in the 60-second quickfire round.
The decisive stretch came in Round Four, when point values doubled, and incorrect answers lost points. Plymouth Regional scored 230 points in the round, but Nashua South added 420 points to seal the title.
“I think my team played great, and it's just very difficult to beat a performance like that from Nashua South,” Fogarty said. “They just learned so much about being on the show. The fact that our team made it this far just blows my mind.”
Hankens added, “I'm pretty proud of how we came together as a team over the course of the season. Really, none of us knew each other at the beginning of the year, but we've all become friends over the course of the season. None of us are seniors. We'll be back next year.”
For Nashua South, the win capped a season led mostly by seniors.
“That was amazing. I cannot believe we scored that many points,” Long said. “It's just really nice to see all of the practices, just hanging out together, having fun — to see that all pay off and win it all. I still can't believe it.”
The championship game will re-air at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 24, on NH PBS. It is also available on the PBS App, the NHPBS YouTube channel, and at nhpbs.org/gsc.
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