This weekend, one Valley high school hockey team is looking to get another state title, all while honoring their teammate who passed due to an “extremely rare” form of pediatric cancer.
It would have been Graysen Briggs' senior playoff season with the Pinnacle Pioneers; instead, a memorial jersey sits at the bench for every game they now play.
“He will forever be GB-93, so that's his number,” Graysen's mother, Michele Briggs, said.
Graysen's mother said hockey was his passion, fueling his love for the game even after being diagnosed with pediatric pancreatic cancer just days after turning 15.
“He loved every part of it, and it meant so much to him,” Michele said. “While he was sick and he didn't get to play hockey, he was still there for every single practice, every single game, he would sit on the bench with the coaches.”
The Pioneers won the state title last year and carried Graysen's jersey with them in the cup. They plan to keep his memorial jersey alongside players again this year as the puck drops Sunday for the state high school quarterfinals.
“They have been so good to honoring our son, and we're very thankful for them,” Michele Briggs said.
According to the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, children have less than one in a million chance of getting the deadly cancer each year.
Pancreatic cancer symptoms can also be vague and “mimic common childhood ailments, making early detection challenging,” the foundation says.
