Nashua High School South will battle Profile High School in the first semifinal game of the Granite State Challenge on May 7. Courtesy photo

DURHAM – Nashua High School South will battle Profile High School in the first semifinal game of the Granite State Challenge on May 7.

The Purple Panthers are captained by senior Henry Long and include fellow seniors Eric Picanco and Thanasi Miris and sophomore Charles Long. Rounding out the team are alternates, senior Jerry Primo and sophomore Lexie Ross. The team is coached by Social Studies teacher Lex Duval and English teacher Kelli Thornhill-Telerski.

Long said he feels confident about his team’s knowledge.

“I’m just really excited because we haven’t made it this far in the four years that I’ve been in high school, so this is really exciting for us,” he said.

Thornhill-Telerski felt the team’s excitement was pretty infectious.

“We’ve never seen them this excited,” she said. “They’re here because they love trivia, they love playing this game, and they love watching it.”

The Purple Panthers worked on their buzzer skills in preparation for the semifinal game.

The Profile Patriots are led by senior captain Maddie Perkins and feature a lineup of fellow seniors Moses Rolfe, Wyatt Wright and Raiden Valentine. The team’s alternates include freshmen Henry Hamilton and Andrew Rolfe. The Patriots are coached by school counselor Jill Brewer and Social Studies teacher Paul Savard.

Enjoying the entire process with her teammates, Perkins felt reflective on the upcoming match.

“This is either our second-to-last match or our last match of pretty much our entire high school,” she said. “So, whether we win or not, we’re just here to have fun and make some memories.”

Being a small school, with an average class size of 32 students, Savard said he’s had many students in class multiple times and has seen how much they’ve grown.

“In basketball, you can pass the ball to somebody, but here it’s on them,” he said. “This is a culmination of their education and they can see it and that’s kind of rewarding.”