Nashua South Tops Bedford In Granite State Challenge Quarterfinal

DURHAM, NH — Nashua South High School defeated Bedford High School, 365 to 250, in a Granite State Challenge quarterfinal game Thursday on New Hampshire PBS.

The matchup featured a high-scoring start — with the lead changing hands multiple times before Nashua South pulled away late.

Captain Henry Long, a 12th-grader, led the Nashua South Purple Panthers. The team also included 12th graders Eric Picanco and Thanasi Miris and 10th grader Charlie Long. Jerry Primo, a 12th-grader, was the alternate. Nashua South was coached by Social Studies teacher Lex Duval and English teacher Kelli Thornhill-Telerski. Nashua South High School enrolls 1,635 students.

Bedford was captained by 10th-grader Matthew Ruggiero and included 11th-grader Tabitha Arp, 9th-grader Sam Dooley and 10th-grader Sumedh Godavarthy. Samantha Arp, an 11th-grader, was the alternate. The Bedford team was coached by Destination Imagination coordinator Kelly Chausovsky and parent Sherry Arp. Bedford High School enrolls 1,492 students.

By the end of the opening round, Nashua South held a two-question lead. During the Three Strikes and You’re Out and 60-Second rounds, Nashua South extended that advantage by 20 points. In Round 4, where incorrect answers lose points, Bedford narrowed the gap before Nashua South regained control.

“There were very few questions that neither team got,” Long pointed out. “That first round was intense. It was just correct answer after correct answer. “

Picanco then began a run of correct answers, controlling the buzzer and helping seal the win. Buzzer timing was a major part of Nashua South’s approach.

“A lot of it comes down to buzzer speed practice,” Thornhill-Telerski said. “ I feel very confident in the fact that our team has a lot of content knowledge, but I think timing is everything in this game.”

Bedford also pointed to buzzer speed as a focus.

“I think we learned a lot,” Ruggiero said. “We’ve still got to work on buzzer speed—that's been the main focus. But it was a good experience.”

Chausovsky said, “I think that they played a really clean game. They did all the things we talked about, so I'm really proud of them.”

Arp added, “They were up against an amazing team today, “ and, “I think they represented themselves and the town well.”

Nashua South will now face the winner of the next quarterfinal game between Profile High and ConVal Regional High in the semifinal. That game airs at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 on NHPBS.