Introducing our WXXV Student Athlete of the Week, D’Iberville’s Rylan Hebert!

What started off as a casual fun activity as a kid turned into a lifestyle for this D’Iberville Junior. He first picked up a bowling bowl when he was four, but it wasn’t until his freshman year of high school that he took it seriously because someone saw potential in him.

Get to know our WXXV Student Athlete of the week, Rylan Hebert.

Sometimes all it takes is someone believing you and recognizing your potential in order for your life to change for the better. That one person and mentor for the D’Iberville Junior bowler is Johnny Cobb.

“He saw me bowling a couple of times and all that and he was like. ‘Let’s bowl. Let me get you right and start training you to be a bowler,’ and all that so I was like alright I guess we can do that, and yeah that’s how he got me into it,” said our Student Athlete of the Week, Rylan Hebert.

Cobb says one reason he knew Rylan Hebert would be a skilled bowler is because he’s a natural athlete.

“A lot of your natural athletes are able to take up certain sports very quickly, especially with bowling,” said Cobb. “Bowling is a very mechanically sound type of sport and about trying to build solid mechanics and trying to grow with what you’re trying to do with a ball in your hand and before you know it, you can do amazing things with a bowling bowl.”

Being the owner of the Cypress Lanes pro shop since 2016 and coaching the University of Mobile program, Cobb transformed Hebert’s casual love for bowling as a four year old to a State Champion as a Freshman in high school.

“My best friend Adam and I have been bowling with each other since we were like four, but we never took it seriously until high school, and then Johnny picked us up so we started to like bowling a lot and then my freshman year we won state so it basically kind of got me thinking I really liked this sport and I want to do big things with it and go to tournaments and get into it. I liked bowling, but then when I won state I really started liking the culture and all of that and knew I wanted to stick to it and keep on bowling and bowling,” Hebert said.

After two years of being committed to the lanes, Hebert most recently placed first in the school regional match while simultaneously breaking the state’s record with an average of 256 points and a total of 1,017 points. On top of that, he has bowled two perfect games in practice and once in league play. 

D’Iberville bowling coach Sanwaa Cooper says he has high expectations for Hebert, and he has no doubt that he’ll be able to reach them.

“My expectation of him is to be a great person rather than a bowler, but he’s a fantastic bowler,” said Cooper. “He leads his team well and he does everything the right way, and that’s our standard here at D’Iberville.”

Hebert says it’s because of bowling that he’s able to lead his team with humility.

“It taught me humbleness,” Hebert said. “Whenever I got my first 300 I thought no one could beat me and all that and then after I bowled that 300, I went up to Junior Gold in Michigan and I just got demolished and then after that it was just a humbling moment.”

After all, Hebert didn’t even believe in himself at the start, but with great mentors along the way, he now dreams of bowling at the collegiate level.

Hebert: “I want to bowl in college. I have a couple of people who want to talk to me when I’m a senior, I just can’t talk to them right now because I’m a Junior and they can’t just offer me,” said Hebert.

Whether he has offers or no offers come his Senior year, Hebert has definitely made his mark on bowling lanes all across the Magnolia state.