DURHAM, NH – It was a David and Goliath battle! Littleton High School, with an enrollment of a little over 200 students, took down Manchester Central High School, one of the largest public high schools New Hampshire with an enrollment of over 1,400 students.
The game got off to a rocky start. Neither team could name the injured quarterback Tom Brady replaced on his way to becoming the GOAT, Robert Lewis Stevenson’s novel Kidnapped, or the athlete Jim Thorpe, but Manchester Central found their footing and at the end of Round One held a lead of 110-40.
In the second round, Littleton correctly answered questions about caviar, Proust and John Wilkes Booth and tightened the score to 190-160.
In the 60-second round, Littleton chose the category “Four in a Row” where they had to identify words with four vowels in a row. They correctly identified sequoia, Hawaiian, and onomatopoeia and picked up 30 points. Manchester Central had more luck with their category, “By and By,” where they had to identify words or phrases they that included the letters b and y in that order, missing on only the poet Lord Byron and picking up 90 points. At the end of the round, Manchester Central had a commanding lead of 280-190.
In the third round, where an incorrect answer can cost a team 20 points, leads can quickly turn around. Littleton came on strong and with a little over two minutes left in the game took a 10-point lead and went on to win the match by a final score of 330-280.
The Crusaders of Littleton High were represented by captain junior Jenna Doucette, junior Marcos Silveira, senior Aidan Hastings, freshman Vincent Silva and alternate junior Breanna Corliss. The team was coached by Charles Denny.
Playing for the Manchester Central High Little Green were captain senior Tamsin Weissberg, senior Max Nakos, junior Karishma Manchanda, freshman Kellan Barbee, and alternates Jonas Weissberg and Eamonn Ryan. The team was coached by Lorraine Meyette.
Tune in to the second game of the semifinals between Plymouth Regional High and Merrimack High, Saturday May 4 at 5:30 p.m. on NHPBS.
Oh, and that quarterback Tom Brady replaced – it was Drew Bledsoe.
GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE features New Hampshire’s top high school academic quiz teams as they demonstrate remarkable teamwork, quick thinking and smarts to beat the clock and buzz in first on this iconic New Hampshire game show. The game emphasizes quick recall of math, science, social studies, language arts, and fine arts facts – along with questions about current events, entertainment, sports and New Hampshire.
You can follow your favorite team, test your own knowledge with GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE online quizzes and more at the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE web page or try your hands at daily brainteasers on the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE Facebook page.
GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is funded by lead sponsor Unitil; with additional funding from NEA New Hampshire, Heinemann Publishing, New Hampshire Lottery, D.F. Richard Energy, HRCU, Measured Progress, The NHHEAF Network Organization, Safety Insurance and Super Sunday partner, Manchester Community College.
