Bryan High School to Host Maliska/Hicks Memorial Boys Varsity Tournament

(Garrett Maliska)
 (Garrett Maliska)

The Bryan High School Golf Team kicks off the annual Maliska/Hicks Memorial Boys Varsity Tournament Friday at the Campus Course at Texas A&M University.

The tournament is named after former Vikings players Garrett Maliska, who passed away from Spinal Cord Glioblastoma Cancer in 2011, and John Harden Hicks II, who succumbed to his own battle with Glioblastoma Brain Cancer last November.

Hicks’ former teammate, senior James Florian, says he’s happy to see a tournament honoring his late friend finally come to fruition.

“It was an idea that we all had, an idea that we wanted to see happen,” Florian says. “And last year it wasn’t able to happen because we didn’t have that tournament in place, but this year it’s something that friends and family around Bryan can come and really enjoy this.”

(John Harden Hicks II)
(John Harden Hicks II)

Another one of Hicks’ former teammates, senior Morgan Ballard, knows she can’t compete in the all-boys tournament, but says that’s not going to stop her from supporting from the sidelines.

“I will definitely be cheering on the guys as much as I can and be there helping with anything I can. And if I was competing, I would try my best and hardest to do something in his memory.”

Head Coach Tim Pepper, in his first year since replacing long-time coach Ron Newhouse, says he hopes the tournament can grow into something big.

“We have teams like Houston Memorial coming in, a lot of Katy schools, Conroe schools, and we have schools from Pflugerville and the Austin area. I would like to see more, but being the first year that I’m doing it, I don’t think a lot of coaches know who I am yet, so it’s kind of hit or miss on what their expectations are. Once they see what kind of tournament I run, then I think it will grow and Bryan/College Station will be the area where people want to come and play.”

The tournament, which features boys varsity teams, gets underway Friday at 8:30 am and continues thru Saturday.

 

James Florian

 

Morgan Ballard

 

Head Coach Tim Pepper

 

 

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