Standout Aztec Daniel Herrera not returning to Palm Desert H.S. this Fall

Palm Desert’s multi-sport star student-athlete Daniel Herrera will not be suiting up for the Aztecs next year.

Herrera will be transferring to Ames High School in Ames, Iowa– closer to his next home after high school, Iowa State University. Herrera committed to ISU’s wrestling program in the Fall of 2022 but tells NBC Palm Springs he plans to play football there as well.

The future Cyclone will be with the Little Cyclones at Ames until that moment though. Herrera tells NBC Palm Springs the decision has been a long-time coming. It was first proposed to him by his future college coach a while ago to which Herrera at first declined. But after months and months of thinking on it, Herrera finally made the decision final. He says he wasn’t p ressured into the idea but it took some time to ponder on what his next move should be.

“I just like that he gave me my space. He wasn’t bugging me about being there right now. He just let me have my time and spend time with my family.”

He also agrees it will get him more experience with other talented athletes as well.

“I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. Now I just need something to chase, just someone better than me that I could chase down and give me more motivation.”

But he admits while he’s open to the move, he is slightly nervous about the big move states over to a new team and a lot of new faces.

“I’m kind of iffy about it to meet a whole new team this late in my high school career but I’m open to it for sure but I’m kinda just like a little nervous about meeting new people over there.”

Herrera joins the Little Cyclones with a decorated high school career both on the gridiron and on the mat, being a two-time State Heavyweight Champion in that Aztec singlet. But Herrera says the grind doesn’t stop as he’s working on conditioning and is looking forward to all the new faces he’ll be training with soon.

Our Tali Letoi caught up with the now-former Aztec about the move to the midwest.