DURHAM, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) Fall Mountain Regional High School’s Quiz Bowl team makes its long-awaited return to television tonight, facing off against two-time champions Nashua High School South in the opening game of the 44th season of Granite State Challenge.

The season premiere airs at 8:30 p.m. this evening on New Hampshire PBS, with streaming available on the PBS App, the NHPBS YouTube channel and at nhpbs.org/gsc.

Fall Mountain secured its place in the 16-team televised bracket with a wildcard victory over Lin-Wood Regional High School in December. The Wildcats are the only school from Cheshire and Sullivan counties competing this season, advancing from a pool of more than 90 eligible high schools statewide.

Tonight’s matchup pits the small-school Wildcats — enrollment under 500 students from Langdon, Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown and Walpole — against the Purple Panthers of Nashua South, champions in 2016 and 2017.

Fall Mountain is led by senior captain Ben Weightman, who has competed on the team throughout high school. He is joined on the on-air roster by seniors Lennon Doescher and Josh Town and junior Rylie Porter. Juniors Keeghan White and Nate Sudsbury serve as alternates. The team is coached by social studies teacher Nick Belsky, who has led the program since 1997.

Students have practiced daily before school since September, building on years of experience in the New Hampshire Quiz Bowl League. Weightman previously said the wildcard round gave the team valuable experience heading into the televised bracket and confidence heading into a matchup against a larger school.

Belsky said his players aren’t intimidated by the Panthers’ championship history.

“We have under 500 kids at our school, but we’re not afraid of Goliath,” Belsky said earlier this season.

Nashua South enters the game with a veteran lineup captained by senior Henry Long. The team also includes seniors Eric Picanco and Thanasi Miris and sophomore Charlie Long, with alternates Jerry Primo, a senior, and Lexie Ross, a sophomore. The Panthers are coached by social studies teacher Lex Duval and English teacher Kelli Thornhill-Telerski.

Duval said the team has been playing together for four years and pushes one another to improve daily, while Henry Long described this year’s roster as balanced and confident heading into competition.

Hosted by Bow High School teacher Jon Cannon — a former contestant, coach and crew member — Granite State Challenge features head-to-head academic competition in math, science, social studies, language arts, fine arts and current events. The show premiered in 1984 and has featured more than 6,900 students over four decades.

The winner of tonight’s game advances further into the single-elimination bracket in pursuit of the 2026 championship.