This week on Granite State Challenge, the Cougars of ConVal Regional High School... [applause] face off against the Patriots of Profile High School.

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 in the midst of our quarterfinal round.

One team has already punched their ticket to the semifinals and one of these two teams that won their first round match is gonna join them.

Let's meet them.

First up, we have the team from ConVal Regional High School.

Hi.

I'm Ben.

I’m the captain and a senior.

Hi.

I'm Ben, and I'm a freshman.

Hi.

I'm Vinnie.

I'm a junior.

Hi.

I'm Iris.

I'm a junior.

Their alternates are Colin and Marcus, and the team is coached by Eric Bowman and Chris Heider.

And they're the Cougars of ConVal Regional High School!

And their opponent in this matchup is the team from Profile High School.

Hi.

I'm Maddie.

I'm a senior.

Hi.

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

Hi.

I'm Wyatt.

I'm a senior.

Hi.

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

Their alternates are Leah and Marcus, and the team is coached by Jill Brewer and Paul Savard.

And they're the Patriots of Profile High School!

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

Of course, with us again this week is our beloved judge, Ann 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-ups.

So, ConVal and Profile, good luck.

Here we go.

This Spanish painter is known for the surrealist work The Persistence of Memory which features melting watches.

Ben M. of ConVal.

Dalí.

Yes.

In atomic structure, this term refers to the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom.

Raiden of Profile.

The atomic number.

That's right.

This philosopher laid the foundation for modern philosophy with the phrase I think, therefore I am.

Moses of Profile.

Descartes.

Descartes is right.

Jumbo shrimp and affordable housing are both examples of this figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear together.

Ben M. of ConVal?

An oxymoron.

Yes.

This American photographer is renowned for her black and white images of rural life and the struggles of Depression-era America, including iconic photographs of migrant workers and Dust Bowl landscapes.

You've seen her photos.

It's Dorothea Lange.

All right, teams, go ahead and take a look at your monitors for the next question.

This great ape whose name comes from the Malay word for person of the forest is known for its remarkable intelligence, including the use of tools in the wild.

Ben M. of ConVal.

Orangutan.

Yes.

Teams, not counting the batter or any base runners, how many players are on the field in a baseball game?

Ben M. of ConVal.

Nine.

That's right.

This physics concept which describes a body's resistance to changes in motion, can be summarized by the phrase, A body at rest will remain at rest, or, perhaps, by the concept of a couch potato.

Moses of Profile.

Inertia.

Yes.

This Austrian friar known as the father of modern genetics experimented with pea plants.

Maddie of Profile.

Mendel.

Yes.

All right, teams, it’s time for our Unitil Power Question, a 20-point toss-up question coming to you on your monitors.

Take a look.

Hi.

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

Dividing a government's executive, legislative, and judicial duties is known as this.

Maddie of Profile.

Checks and balances.

[Jon hesistates] We need it's a Power Question.

Sorry.

Ben M. Governmental powers.

Sorry, we're looking for separation of powers instead of checks and balances.

That's all right.

We're moving forward.

This Winter Olympic sport involves granite stones or rocks, a hog line, a house, and brooms.

Maddie of Profile.

Curling.

Yes.

The parliament of this country selects a five-member committee to select the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Wyatt of Profile.

Norway.

Yes.

All right, teams, a math question for you.

You have pencil and paper if you need it.

What is the area of a sheet of U.S.

letter-sized paper?

Ben M. of ConVal.

88 square inches.

Sorry, no.

Moses of Profile 93.5.

That is right.

Walt Whitman is often called the father of this form of poetry that doesn't follow a regular rhyme or rhythm pattern.

Moses of Profile.

Free verse.

Yes.

Built by the Incas in the 15th century as a citadel, Machu Picchu is in what is now this country.

Wyatt of Profile.

Peru.

Yes.

All right, teams, it is time for our Semiquincentennial Moment, a 25-point toss-up coming to you on your monitors.

Take a look.

Hello.

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

British Colonel Tarleton unsuccessfully pursued Colonial Brigadier General Francis Marion 26 miles through a swamp, and later said, As for this [damned] old fox, the Devil himself could not catch him, leading Marion’s supporters to call the general by this name.

Ben M. of ConVal.

Fox face.

Sorry, no.

Profile?

Gave it a shot.

They called him the Swamp Fox.

Alright, teams, this mammal is the largest land carnivore.

Iris of ConVal.

Siberian tiger.

Sorry, no.

Profile.

Maddie?

Jaguar?

Sorry, no.

It's the polar bear.

In 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas, mediated by the pope, established a line of demarcation dividing newly-discovered lands outside Europe, effectively splitting South America between these two powers.

Ben F. of ConVal.

Spain and Portugal?

Correct.

The songs Purple Rain by Prince, Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, and Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush all landed on the Billboard Top 100 list in January 2026, shortly after being featured in the finale of this series.

Iris of ConVal.

Stranger Things.

Yes.

This East African country is home to Mount Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park.

Moses of Profile.

Kenya.

Sorry, no.

ConVal.

Ben F. Tanzania.

That's what we were looking for.

Tom Hanks starred in the movies Big, in which he played a boy trapped in a man's body, and A League of Their Own, where he played a baseball coach.

Both films were directed by this woman, who also played Laverne on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley.

It was Penny Marshall.

All right, teams.

The U.S.

first landed on the Moon on July 20th of this year, during NASA's Apollo 11 mission.

Ben F. of ConVal.

1969.

Correct.

This city, which hosted the first modern-day Olympics in 1896, hosted the Summer games again in 2004.

Iris of ConVal.

Athens.

Athens is right.

[alarm blares] All right, teams.

And now, at the end of round one, look what we’ve got!

A tie game.

[applause] Well, that's how we like it on Granite State Challenge.

But we're going to put a pause in the action right now and get to know our players a little bit.

We're going to start with the team from ConVal Regional High School.

ConVal Regional High School is located in Peterborough, but it serves not just Peterborough but eight other towns.

About 630 students, and one of them is Iris.

And Iris, you have, I think, a skill, a talent, a knowledge base that's good for Granite State Challenge.

Yeah, I can name all the presidents in order.

All the presidents in order.

How did you learn this?

My mom taught me with this, like, little quirky song.

A little song.

Yeah.

To help you with it.

And has it helped out in school?

Not yet, but I think it will soon enough.

It will soon enough.

And maybe on Granite State Challenge soon enough.

Yeah!

Right?

All right.

Joining Iris is Vincent, who has another talent, but this one you know, I don't know if you want to show the folks at home what it is you can do with your thumbs.

I can twist my thumb on backwards.

Okay.

You can twist your thumb on backwards.

I don't know if we want to necessarily show that to the folks at home.

How did you learn you have this talent?

Oh, I was nine years old, swimming in the pool, and it all just kind of happened.

All right.

Does it help you win any video games, anything like that?

It helps me with thumb wars, actually.

Ooh, a thumb war.

If it ends in a tie, maybe we'll have to do that.

All right, Ben F. All right.

Learned a new sport this year.

What did you learn?

So, I am on the golf team.

You're on the golf team.

As a freshman, you’re on the varsity golf team.

All right.

What inspired you to do this?

Well, I needed a fall sport.

I'm not going to play soccer.

That’s ridiculous.

Okay, so you decide golf.

How are you?

You got a talent?

[background laughter] Well, so, in high school golf, after a double bogey, you pick up.

So I break 126 every time.

Is that double bogey times 18.

It's triple bogey times 18... Oh, okay.

Yeah, gotcha!

Excellent.

All right.

You sound like me as a golfer.

All right, Ben F. And then Ben M. got to go to a really cool college football game recently.

Yeah, I went to the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, which took place at Fenway Park, in Boston, obviously.

They had set up the field like you know how Fenway Park is shaped.

It’s shaped like a diamond, obviously.

So they've set it up in a weird fashion.

Was there enough space for the teams?

Just barely.

They were squeezing in there.

But, like, it was really cool.

Fun game?

Fun game.

Good crowd?

Yeah, good crowd.

Boston College was playing, so the home fans got really rowdy and stuff.

That'll do it.

Great time, yeah.

Well, hopefully the home fans in the studio don't get too rowdy for ConVal Regional High School!

[applause] All right.

And their opponent this week is the team from Profile High School.

It's located up in Bethlehem, but it's Bethlehem and three other towns.

Small enrollment about 145.

And from that number, we'll start down here with Raiden, who is you do something for your family that I think all of us can relate to.

What is that?

I act as the residing tech support for the older relatives.

So you provide tech support for your family?

Yes.

All right.

And, what's the best solution for tech support?

Usually turning it off and on again works about half the time.

Okay.

The other half of the time, it's usually just going in and turning off the 15 million different apps they have running that don't actually do anything.

All right, well, I hope the folks at home are taking notes from Raiden as he's now your new tech support person as well.

Joining Raiden is Wyatt, a concert-goer with a few fun concerts coming up Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson.

Where are you going to go see them?

Mansfield, MA.

Down in Mansfield, MA.

So is this a genre of music, this pretty heavy music, that you're a fan of?

Yeah, I’d say so.

Okay.

And is this like a big festival that you're going to or is this just the lineup?

They’re all together.

All right.

Anyone you’re particularly excited for?

Rob Zombie.

Rob Zombie the most, yep.

That makes sense to me.

Well good luck.

Stay safe at the concert.

Joining Wyatt is Moses, who has been losing some money to his friends.

Tell us why.

I've got about 100 hours of Texas hold 'em in the past year.

Texas hold 'em poker.

So you're playing poker with your friends and you're losing money on this deal.

Yeah, but, you know, my spirit is up... And they're still your friends?

...I keep coming back.

Of course.

Okay.

Well, that's okay.

Well, you know, play the player, not the cards.

Right?

So I hear.

Turn it around.

All right.

And captain of the team, Maddie, is a lead scooper.

What is a lead scooper?

Yeah.

So at Super Secret Ice Cream back home in Bethlehem, a lead scooper is basically a shift lead.

So we know all the flavors and the ingredients, and we're just there to help.

So, there's a lot of folks around here on Granite State Challenge, big fans of Super Secret Ice Cream.

What's the recommendation?

I think the most popular flavor is definitely honeycomb.

Honeycomb.

All right, you heard it, folks.

If you're going up there, go to Super Secret Ice Cream and get some honeycomb, see Maddie, and maybe the rest of the team from Profile High School!

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

We're going to get right back into it in round two, which is our three strikes and you're out round.

The way this round works is each team gets ten questions and we go down the line, player by player, giving one question to each.

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

Just as a reminder, each team has three passes.

You can pass your teammate if you don't know the answer.

And, of course, look for a clue for the next question in the current question.

So, we'll start with you, ConVal.

And Ben M., we'll start at your end.

This is your question.

Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda Hobbes in the series Sex and the City, ran for governor of this state in 2018 but lost to Andrew Cuomo.

New York.

Correct.

Ben F. New York City has five boroughs Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and this borough with a regal name.

Queens.

Yes.

Vincent.

This Major League Baseball team located in Queens, New York, defeated the Red Sox in the 1986 World Series.

Yankees.

It is the Mets.

Iris.

One of artist Emanuel Leutze's three versions of George Washington crossing this river hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Delaware.

Yes.

Ben M. This U.S.

president was born in Pennsylvania, but he grew up in Delaware.

Joe Biden.

Correct.

Ben F. Baseball player Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller were both married to this famous blonde actress.

Marilyn Monroe.

Correct.

Vincent.

The 1823 Monroe Doctrine warned powers from this continent from interfering in the Western Hemisphere.

Pass.

Pass to Iris.

Asia.

Sorry, it is Europe.

Ben M.

21 of the 27 countries in the European Union use this as their currency.

The Euro.

Yes.

Ben F. Eurovision is an annual international song competition held by the European Broadcasting Union.

The contest was won in 1974 by the Swedish group ABBA for this song.

Dancing Queen.

Sorry, no, it is Waterloo, and that is the third strike and the end of your round.

[applause] Great job, ConVal.

We turn our attention to Profile.

We're going to do the same drill, starting with you, Maddie.

This is your question.

Bob Fosse directed the semi-autobiographical film All That Jazz, starring Roy Scheider as choreographer Joe Gideon.

Scheider also played police chief Martin Brody in this 1975 film directed by Steven Spielberg.

No answer.

It is Jaws.

Moses.

The theme for Jaws was written by John Williams, who also wrote the themes for Star Wars, E.T.

the Extra-Terrestrial, and this film about a dinosaur attraction.

Oh, Jurassic Park.

Correct.

Wyatt.

The Jurassic Period was one of three periods of this geologic era that spanned from about 252 to 66 million years ago, and also included the Triassic and Cretaceous periods.

Precambrian.

Sorry, it is the Mesozoic Era.

Raiden.

We are currently living in the Cenozoic Era.

The Cenozoic Era saw the rise of this class of mostly furry, warm- blooded animals.

Mammals.

Yes.

Maddie.

This mammal was the subject of a very popular 1980s children's song and album by Raffi.

Sheep.

It is the beluga whale and baby beluga.

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

[applause] All right, teams, nice job in round two.

As we get ready for round three, I'd like to ask the alternates to come on up and join their teams at the podium as we get ready for our 60-second round.

In this round, each team works together on ten questions in a category.

They can talk together and work together as a team, and we'll start with the team trailing Profile.

So that is you Maddie.

You can talk to your team and choose from one of today's three categories We’re All Winners, Got Milk?

and Bucket List.

Got Milk?

Got Milk?

Okay.

So, in this category, Profile, the answers to the following will all include the word milk or the sound of the word milk.

Okay?

So Maddie, you can talk to your team.

I will take your answer as the team answer.

60 seconds.

Start the clock.

The galaxy we live in or a candy bar.

The Milky Way.

Yes.

Monarch butterfly caterpillars eat the leaves of this plant.

Milkweed.

Yes.

What you might be told to not do over a mistake you can't undo.

Cry over spilled milk.

Yes.

Biblical place of prosperity and abundance.

Land of milk and honey.

Correct.

This member of the San Francisco Board of Super- visors was assassinated in 1978.

Harvey Milk.

Yes.

2003 hit song by Kelis.

Milkshake.

Correct.

Common name for magnesium hydroxide used to soothe heartburn and indigestion.

[Milk of Magnesia].

Correct.

Chewy and round chocolate and caramel candies created in 1928.

Milk Duds.

Yes.

A timid or unassertive person might be called this.

Milquetoast.

Correct.

This reptile found in New Hampshire was once thought to feed on cow milk.

Milk lizard.

Close.

It is the milk snake.

And that means, I think, nine out of ten on your 60-second round.

Great job, Profile.

ConVal, we turn over to you.

Ben M., talk to your team.

We've got We're All Winners or Bucket List.

We're going to go with Bucket List, Jon.

Bucket List, okay.

The answers to the following, ConVal, will be related to or include the words bucket or pail.

Okay.

All right.

So, Ben, I will take your answer as the team answer.

60 seconds.

Start the clock.

He is the protagonist in a novel by Charlie Bucket.

Yes.

Pair who went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.

Jack and Jill.

Yes.

Euphemism for dying.

Kick the bucket.

Yes.

Human chain for passing items can be called this.

Human pail train.

It is the bucket brigade.

This effort to fight ALS went viral on social media.

Ice Bucket Challenge.

Yes.

A place for a single person to sit in a car.

The bucket seat Yes.

You might take this to the beach along with a shovel.

Sand bucket.

Correct.

What you might call a small or insignificant amount.

A bucket full.

A drop in the bucket.

Sport where you can shoot buckets.

Basketball.

Correct.

Soft cap with a broad rim.

A bucket hat.

Bucket hat is correct.

And also a good round.

Adding them up... eight out of ten on your 60-second round!

[applause] Great job, both teams.

Alternates, thank you so much.

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

All right, teams, in round four, we're going to pick back up with our toss-up questions, but we're going to make a couple changes.

Number one: we're going to double the point value to 20 points.

We will also be deducting 20 points for incorrect answers.

With a close game like this, play smart and strategically, ConVal and Profile.

Good luck, and here we go.

Our first question is a video question coming on your monitors from a Granite State Challenge super fan.

Take a look.

Hey guys!

Once again, it's Corey, and I hope you studied up on your geography for this question.

Here we go.

This landlocked country became independent from Italy in 1929.

And at 0.17 mi , this is the smallest country in the world.

Iris of ConVal.

Vatican City.

That is right.

During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, four Navy battleships were sunk.

All but one of these ships were later raised.

This battleship that was not raised now serves as an underwater memorial honoring the 1,117 sailors and Marines who were killed on board.

Moses of Profile.

[U.S.S.]

Arizona.

Yes.

The life-saving antibiotic penicillin was discovered in 1928 by this Scottish doctor and microbiologist.

Ben F. of ConVal.

Alexander Fleming.

That is right.

Pablo Picasso co-founded this early-20th-century art movement with Georges Braque which is characterized by multiple viewpoints of forms broken into geometric shapes in works like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Girl with a Mandolin.

Maddie of Profile.

Cubism.

Yes.

This type of chemical bond forms when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons, creating a strong connection that helps molecules like water and carbon dioxide hold their structure.

Moses of Profile.

Covalent.

Right.

This rapper known for the hit 99 Problems teamed up with Beyonce on her 2003 single Crazy in Love.

Wyatt of Profile.

Jay-Z.

Yes.

All right, teams, go ahead and take a look at your monitor for the next question.

You may have seen Devils Tower National Monument in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

It's where everyone gathers to meet the aliens.

In what state is Devils Tower located?

Moses of Profile.

Wyoming.

That's right.

This Doctor Seuss book reminds readers that no matter how small they are, a person is still a person.

It’s Horton Hears a Who!

All right, teams, born in Easton, New Hampshire, this alpine skier won six medals in the Winter Olympics 1 gold, 3 silvers, and 2 bronze the most of any U.S.

skier.

Sorry, it is Bodie Miller.

The Greek titan Prometheus stole this from the Greek gods and gave it to humans.

Zeus punishes him by chaining him to a rock, where an eagle eats his regenerating liver for all eternity... maybe with fava beans?

Maddie of Profile.

Fire.

Yes.

This Macedonian king who ruled one of the largest empires in history died when he was only 32 years old from either natural causes or perhaps nefarious poisoning.

Maddie of Profile.

Alexander the Great.

Yes.

It takes two to perform this dance, which originated in Argentina and is known for its close partner connection and dramatic poses.

Moses a Profile.

Tango.

Yes.

Located in the Tuul River valley of Mongolia, this capital city has a population of 1.67 million and is the coldest capital in the world, with an average annual temperature of about 29.6 F. Moses of Profile.

Ulaanbaatar.

Yes.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenefield founded this company in Burlington, Vermont, in 1978.

Moses of Profile.

Ben & Jerry's.

Yes.

In 1933, in his first inauguration speech during the Depression, FDR said, We have nothing to fear but [this].

Maddie of Profile.

Fear itself.

Yes.

This alphabet is used in Slavic languages like Russian, Ukrainian, and Serbian.

Raiden of Profile.

The Cyrillic alphabet.

That is right.

This graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey features a half-dog, half-police officer superhero.

Maddie of Profile.

Dog Man.

Yes.

After slaying the Nemean Lion and the Lernaean Hydra, this hero from Greek mythology went on to complete ten more labors.

Maddie of Profile.

Heracles.

Yes.

We'll take that.

This composer is known for his 5th Symphony, which opens with the iconic dum dum dum dummm motif.

Moses of Profile.

Beethoven.

Yes.

The foundation of this religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama is the Four Noble Truths, which are related to freedom from suffering.

Wyatt of Profile.

Buddhism Yes.

We'll skip the next question.

When it's not selling insurance with Doug, this flightless bird is found in Australia... [alarm blaring] and is an emu!

And with a very strong round four, Profile will be moving on to the Granite State Challenge semifinals.

[applause] Great job, Profile.

We'll see you in a few weeks when you take on the team from Nashua South.

And ConVal, congratulations on your first round win.

Tough loss to a strong team this week, but we had fun having you here.

We hope you had fun being here with us.

And we hope you had fun at home as well.

We do hope you join us next week while the team from Plymouth Regional High School takes on the team from Bow High School.

That'll do it for us this week on Granite State Challenge.

I learned something, and I hope you did as well.

We'll see you next time.

[applause] 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!

♪