Ceres High's Dalton Durossette and Central Valley's Amelia Daoheung both excelled at the varsity level as underclassmen this fall.

Durossette and Daoheung have been named the Courier's Male and Female Newcomers of the Year, respectively, for their efforts.

Just a freshman, Amelia helped lead Central Valley's varsity girls golf program to new heights in 2017.

The Hawks placed third with a team score of 659 at the Western Athletic Conference Year-End Tournament.

Central Valley compiled a 6-4 record while also taking third during the WAC dual season.

The Hawks qualified three individuals for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV Championships, including Daoheung.

"I've never experienced this much fun playing golf," Amelia said.

Daoheung was named to the WAC First Team.

Ameila was the fifth-best player in the conference's individual standings.

She had a slope and rating average of 12.539.

"I'm surprised," Amelia said. "I never saw myself earning anything in golf. I thought that because sometimes I don't think I'm good. I challenged myself to not give up."

Added Central Valley head coach Kelly Wheelock: "She was consistent."
Durossette filled multiple roles, including quarterback, punter and kicker, while starring on Ceres High's varsity football team as a sophomore.

Dalton completed 135 of 247 passes for 1,709 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions for the Bulldogs, who compiled a 3-7 overall record and finished last in the WAC standings (0-5).

"It's only his second season playing football," said Bret Durossette, Ceres High's head coach for 13 years (2011-17, 2000-05) and Dalton's father. "I thought he did an outstanding job for a 15-year-old kid."

"The most challenging part was playing against teams that were better than us," Dalton said. "We never gave up. We fought hard every game. We competed as a team. I tried to get everybody involved. That was one of my main goals going into the season."

Durossette earned second-team all-WAC honors.

"There's always room for more improvement," Dalton said. "Nobody's perfect. I'm going to work on having a better attitude with my teammates next season. I'm going to encourage them more."

Durossette filled the stat sheet against Hughson and Central Valley.

He passed for 196 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 106 yards and one touchdown as the Bulldogs erased a 20-point deficit in posting a 34-33 victory over the Huskies at Ceres High.

"It was a hard-fought game," Dalton said. "We deserved to win. I knew we wouldn't quit. We didn't quit all season."

Durossette threw for 274 yards and five touchdowns during the Bulldogs' 35-33 loss to the crosstown-rival Hawks. He had a quarterback rating of 137.2.

"The kid can make every throw," Central Valley head coach Scott Edwards said. "He's got a strong arm and a quick release. He has a bright future ahead of him. He's a college football player. He just needs to continue to work hard and develop."

Dalton will compete under the direction of a new head coach next fall.

Citing a need for change, Bret stepped down on Nov. 7. "It was a great experience playing for him for one year," Dalton said. "He taught me how to be a leader on and off the field. I got mad at him a couple times because he yelled at me. But I got to get used to that. That's what's going to happen in college."