Bishop Guertin, Salem High Meet Next In Granite State Challenge On New Hampshire PBS

DURHAM, NH — Bishop Guertin High will meet Salem High in the final first-round game of Granite State Challenge at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, on New Hampshire PBS.

Bishop Guertin's team is led by captain Mohid Khan, a 12th-grader. The Cardinals' lineup includes fellow seniors Declan Pyles, Teddy Bond, and Aidan Coffey, with alternates Grant Leonardi, a 10th-grader, and Carter Rick, a 12th-grader. The team is coached by English teachers Katie Graham and Jeannette Riendeau and represents a school of 800 students in Hillsborough County, serving communities across Nashua, Merrimack, Bedford, Hudson, Hollis, and Pelham.

Salem High is captained by 12th-grader Megan Sneed. The Blue Devils lineup includes 11th-grader Gabe Bradley and 10th-graders Ross Tremblay and Sam Feuer, with 9th-grader Bernie Campbell as alternate. According to the release, Salem is coached by Social Studies teacher Bernie Campbell and represents a school of 1,000 students in Rockingham County, serving the town of Salem.

Both schools bring championship history into the game.

Bishop Guertin won Granite State Challenge titles in 1987 and 2015. Salem won championships in 1998, 2002, and 2018.

When asked about her team's strength, Graham said, “Dedication. They set their own schedule, they identify areas they need to focus on, they come up with a plan on how to do that.”

Khan said, “We’re all seniors, we’re all really good friends, so this is our last time to perform.”

The release also included comments from Salem's side ahead of the game.

“We’ve got a couple of seniors this year, and they’ll be finishing up, but I think the underclassmen are really strong,” Sanders said. “I think they’re really smart, and they’re working on being fast. I think we’ve got some real potential coming up.”

Sneed added, “I feel like our team is really good with science, a little bit of sports, and history. We really do love our history here.”

Granite State Challenge is hosted by Jon Cannon, a Bow High School teacher and former coach, contestant, and crew member connected to the show. According to New Hampshire PBS, the game tests students in math, science, social studies, language arts, and fine arts, along with current events, entertainment, sports, and New Hampshire topics.

The game will air on NHPBS and will also be available on the PBS App, the NHPBS YouTube channel, and at nhpbs.org/gsc.