Bishop Guertin will face off against Salem High on April 2 in the Granite State Challenge. Courtesy photo

DURHAM – The Cardinals of Bishop Guertin High School will meet the Blue Devils of Salem High School in the final first round game of Granite State Challenge on April 2.

The Cardinals are led by captain Mohid Khan, a senior, and feature a lineup of fellow seniors Declan Pyles, Teddy Bond and Aidan Coffey. Supporting the team are sophomore Grant Leonardi and senior Carter Rick. The Cardinals are coached by English teachers Katie Graham and Jeannette Riendeau. The Cardinals were Granite State Challenge champions in 1987 and 2015.

Graham said dedication is one of her team’s greatest strengths.

“They set their own schedule, they identify areas they need to focus on, they come up with a plan on how to do that,” she said.

“We’re all seniors, we’re all really good friends, so this is our last time to perform,” said Khan.

Captained by senior Megan Sneed, the Salem Blue Devils field a competitive lineup that includes junior Gabe Bradley as well as sophomores Ross Tremblay and Sam Feuer. Serving as team alternate is freshman Bernie Campbell. The team is coached by Social Studies teacher Bernie Sanders. The Blue Devils have a strong history in the competition, earning championship titles in 1998, 2002 and 2018.

Sanders reflected on his team and the upcoming game.

“We’ve got a couple of seniors this year, and they’ll be finishing up, but I think the underclassmen are really strong,” said Sanders. “I think they’re really smart, and they’re working on being fast. I think we’ve got some real potential coming up.”

Sneed has been feeling a mixture of excitement and jitters.

“I feel like our team is really good with science, a little bit of sports and history,” she said. “We really do love our history here.”