Gilford High takes on Tilton School on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at 8:30 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS in the third first-round game of Granite State Challenge.
Playing for Gilford High is team captain and 12th grader Ben Wolpin along with Clark Blackwelder and Andrew Gately who are both 12th graders and 11th grader Landon Akerstrom. The alternates are 12th graders Katie Strickland and Ben Smith. Team coaches are Spanish teacher Meghan Zelaya and librarian Corey Nazer. Gilford High enrolls 491 students from Gilford and Gilmanton.
While attending a Granite State Challenge game and watching Laconia compete last year, Gilford coach Meghan Zelaya realized Gilford High was missing from the competition. “I went to Corey, because I knew he was the trivia guru at the high school and I said, ‘Hey, why aren’t we at Granite State Challenge?’” asked coach Zelaya. The coaches then pulled a team together who had already been coming to the trivia club.
“We’ve been practicing with these guys since they were in 9th grade, and now all but one of them are seniors,” said Gilford High coach Corey Nazer.
Gilford High team captain Ben Wolpin was pretty excited for the upcoming match. “We’ve been practicing for a while,” said Ben. “We have done a trivia club every week for the last 3 years.”
Playing for the Tilton School is the team captain and 12th grader Alexios Condodemetraky along with 12th grader Sebastian DeVeaux and 11th graders Nikolai Condodemetraky and Jamie Scott. Team alternates are 11th grader Turner Bottomley and 10th grader Nathaniel Colon. The coaches for Tilton School are Spanish teacher Keelan Mackenzie and social media and content specialist Lauren Robinson. Tilton School, a private boarding school in Tilton, enrolls 220 students and played in the first season of Granite State Challenge in 1984.
Tilton coach Keelan Mackenzie said their team showed up half an hour early because they couldn’t wait to get to the NHPBS studios. “I want to say this is our first team in a really long time,” said coach Mackenzie. “This team is ready to go, we’re psyched to be here.”
Tilton team captain Alexios Condodemetraky said that it’s an advantage to living at a boarding school because they’re always with each other. “We have some strategies that we’re going to use to communicate even while we’re not talking,” said Alexios. “So, we really are always on the same page, which is definitely a strength of ours.”
The winner of the game will move on to the quarterfinals where they will meet the winner of the next Round One game, either Kingswood Regional or Portsmouth High in a game airing on Thursday, February 27 at 8:30 p.m. on New Hampshire PBS.
Catch the next game of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at 8:30 p.m. on NHPBS. You can also stream it on the PBS App, the NHPBS YouTube channel, or online at nhpbs.org/gsc.
Test your knowledge with GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE online quizzes, and more at the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE web page, or try your hands at daily brain teasers on the GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE Facebook page.
GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is funded by lead sponsor Unitil with additional funding from Bangor Savings Bank, Safety Insurance, NEA New Hampshire and Aroma Joe’s.
About Host Jon Cannon: Hosted by Bow High School teacher and former Granite State Challenge coach (Bedford High), contestant (Belmont High), and Granite State Challenge crew member, Jon Cannon. Granite State Challenge features some of New Hampshire’s brightest high school students 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.
About New Hampshire PBS: New Hampshire PBS inspires Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs and services on-air, online, via mobile, in classrooms and in communities. Beyond its award-winning television programs, New Hampshire PBS is a leader in education and community engagement. nhpbs.org