Each new sporting season brings various challenges and adventures. For the ADM boys cross country team, their 2017 adventure is getting a boost from a new face.

That new boost will be non other than West Central Valley transfer Rylan Heffernan. Heffernan will enter his high school senior season at ADM after a successful stint with the Wildcats where he finished 20th in the class 1A state boys meet last year.

Raccoon Valley Radio had a chat with ADM head cross country coach David Zwank about the beneficial impact Heffernan will have on the Tiger roster.

“When I think about it from the team aspect it’s just how he can be that inspiration and leader for the team. I think the challenge with that, that I’ve already worked with him is to help him understand how we can put those training runs together. He has that competitive fire and so sometimes my job as coach is to actually hold him back. You know what today is the day where we’re not going to go out and not try and bust a gut as we do the run. Particularly I think if he responds well to that and he preforms well, then that’s only going to bolster what as a program we try and do,” explained coach Zwank.

Both Tiger cross country squads have over two weeks to practice up with Rylan before their season opener on September 2nd in Urbandale.