Merrimack High School lost a close contest to ConVal High School in the latest Granite State Challenge. Courtesy photo

DURHAM — Despite trailing for most of the game, ConVal High School mounted a dramatic comeback with a strong performance in the latest Granite State Challenge, defeating defending champion Merrimack High School, 350-315.

The ConVal Cougars were led by Captain Benjamin Michaud, a senior. His teammates included freshman Benjamin Ferrisi as well as juniors Vincent Hollenbeck and Iris Palmer. Alternates included sophomore Colin Maybury and junior Marcus Jordan. The Cougars were coached by Social Studies teachers Eric Bowman and Chris Heider.

The Merrimack Tomahawks were captained by senior Avis Clever, along with senior Bridget Clark, junior Jeremy Nigen and senior Lauren Murby. Team alternates were junior Zachary Tiller and sophomore Tess Howes. Merrimack was coached by Dr. Sara Campbell, a chemistry teacher and Jessica Kueblbeck, an ESOL teacher. The Tomahawks have competed in every championship game since 2020 and have won five out of six titles.

Despite jumping out to an early lead in the first round, ConVal quickly lost ground to the defending champions.

“Holy smokes–they’re so fast on the buzzer,” Michaud said of Merrimack. “It was hard to keep up with them.”

All three available passes were used to direct questions to Nigen, who came through for the team with correct responses on topics ranging from Black Sabbath to Rocky to Ken Burns.

“I’m proud of how we performed,” said Clever, who is the only returning member of the 2025 championship team to have played in a live game. “We worked a ton on that and we just played it really well.”

Merrimack went on to get nine out of 10 answers right in the 60-second round.

ConVal struggled in the Three Strikes Round, answering just one question correctly, but regained momentum with a perfect score in the 60-Second Round, answering all 10 questions correctly and picking up 10 more points.

That teamwork would turn the tide for them in the fourth round.

“I think everybody had a buzz-in in that round and was able to contribute, “ said Michaud.

Michaud described his team as being “cautious but aggressive” in the final round, an approach that paid off in round four, where incorrect answers resulted in 20-point deductions. Merrimack entered the round with an 85-point lead, but several incorrect responses allowed ConVal to close the gap. During the final four questions, ConVal surged ahead and held the lead through the end of the game.

Despite the loss, Campbell remained proud of her team’s effort.

“They played really hard. They played a good game,” she said. “There were a lot of good answers, but ConVal just had a better day. They were a really good team.”

Bowman lauded Merrimack for a terrific effort.

“Merrimack is a great team,” he said. “Our guys just hung in there and it came right down to the end.”