Dayton HS holds signing event for college-bound athletes

Nine seniors from Dayton High School inked their names in letters of intent with colleges and universities on Feb. 1 at a special event in their honor at the DHS Performing Arts Center. Below is a list of athletes and highlights of their high school athletic careers:

VERNON HARRISON: Harrison signed with Texas Weslayan University. He is the district’s offensive MVP. He finished the season with 1,251 total yards, 21 touchdowns, 47 tackles on defense, eight pass breakups, a block kick, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He is also a member of the baseball team and has competed in track and field. Harrison plans to study sports communication at Texas Weslayan.

JONAH HEARNE: Hearne signed with Southwestern University to play football. His season-ending stats include 47 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. He was an Honorable Mention in District Play. He wants to study history and education.

Eric Rosales: Rosales signed with Texas Weslayan University to play soccer. He has been a letterman on the football team for two years and has competed in powerlifting and track. Rosales finished his season in nose tackle with 29 tackles. He is the Second Team All-District D-Line and First Team Academic All-District. He wants to study business administration.

PAYTON VEAL: Veals is joining Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches this fall to join the college dance team. Veals has been an exceptional member of the Dazzlers Dance Team at DHS for the past two years. He was offered a spot on the SFA dance team after one of the team’s coaches saw him dance. While most dancers must be invited to rehearsals and go through a grueling process, Veals’ talent allowed him to skip that process and be offered a stipend.

MAIYAH PHOUMMARATH: Phoummarath signed to run cross country and track for the University of Texas at Dallas. Not only does she excel in sports, she also ranks 23rd out of 333 seniors at Dayton High School. Phoummarath was an All District runner this season as well as a regional qualifier.

Kamron Houston: Houston signed to play soccer at Bethel College. A two-year-old Letterman, Houston also plays association football for the Beaumont Dynamo 05 PA. He is the Most Outstanding Goaltender of the 2023 Highway 90 Classic and holds the program record for most penalties saved. He plans to study software engineering at Bethel College.

LARISSA RAMOS: Ramos signed with San Jacinto Community College. She competed in softball at Atascocita High School until moving to Dayton this fall. While attending AHS, she completed her junior year in softball and received multiple awards including 2021 Defensive Player of the Year, 2022 Offensive Player of the Year, 2022 First Team All-District and 2022 First Team Academic All-District. She plans to study health science and then aim for a career in radiology.

Emma Pierce: Pierce signed with San Jacinto Community College. At Dayton High School, she played volleyball for four years and lettering for two years, softball for four years and lettering for four years, and competed in powerlifting for four years. In volleyball, she served as JV captain for two years and varsity captain for one year. She was Academic All-District and Academic All-State in volleyball. In softball, she received two years of Home Run MVP, Honorable Mention, Second Team All-District, and Academic All-District honors, and received the Ashley May Spirit Award. In powerlifting, she was a regional qualifier for three years and a state qualifier for one year. She plans to minor in mechanical engineering and architecture to become an engineer.

FABIANA CANDELARI: Candelari signed with Northeast Texas Community College. She played softball and wrote all four years of Dayton High School. She has received multiple awards during her softball career, including Defensive MVP in her freshman and sophomore years and Second Team All-District in her freshman, sophomore and junior years. She also competed in powerlifting and was a regional qualifier in her junior year. She plans to get a degree in Radiological Sciences and work as an X-ray technician.