Joey Desroches participated in football, basketball and track & field from 1979 to 1983. He obtained 10 varsity letters: 3 in football, 3 in basketball, and 4 in track & field.
In football his senior year as a receiver, he had 27 catches for 473 yards, 7 receiving touchdowns, one other TD and 6 interceptions. “he’s got phenomenal spring in his legs for a kid his size” said head football Coach Chris Perry at the time. ” You can have the tools, but you need the love of the game and the desire too. Joey has all three. That’s what makes him the talent he is.” He was a CAL All-Star, Boston Globe Division III All Star and Boston Herald All Scholastic. Joey was selected to play in the Shiners’ All-Star High
School Football Classic at Boston College.
Former Athletic Director Doug Wood commented “One of my fondest memories goes back to when Barry Gallup, a friend and football coach at BC, called me to see if I could set up a workout for Joey at Landry Stadium using my son Jay Wood and Doug Flutie to work him out. This exciting workout ended up with Joey receiving a full athletic scholarship to BC. Congratulations, Joey, you deserve to be a first rounder.”
In basketball Joey averaged 13.3 points per game and was named a CAL All-Star his junior year. His senior year he was a Co-Captain, averaged 20.5 points per game, was named the team’s MVP, and was a CAL All Star.
Joey helped AHS to four outstanding years in track & field. Amesbury went 33 and 3 in dual meets and won 3 CAL open meet championships during his four years.
Coach Dave Bailey track coach remembers Joey as an eighth grader. “He always could jump higher and run faster than other kids his age. You just knew he was going to be something special”
In track his freshman year, Joey was the only freshman to letter and score 85 points. He was All-League in the high jump.
His sophomore year he was All-League in the triple jump and he set a school and meet record of 45 feet 1/2 inch.
Junior year: CAL open meet, Joey was named MVP. He was All League in the 440, high jump, and triple jump. He set school and meet records for the high jump and triple jump events. At the state meet, he was 15t in the triple jump and was an All Scholastic Track & Field Athlete for the Boston Globe.
His senior year : Joey was a Co-Captain. In the CAL open meet he was named MVP of the meet. He was All League in the 220, long jump, and triple jump. In the state meet he won the triple jump and was second in the high hurdles. In the All State meet he was first in the triple jump and was 4th in the high hurdle. At the New England Meet, he was 2nd in the triple jump and 2nd in the high hurdles. He won the state decathlon with 6730 points. He was named an All Scholastic Track & Field Athlete for the Boston Globe.
Coach Dave Bailey says, “Joey DesRoches is the best male track & field performer in the history of Amesbury High School. I have so many fond memories with Joey, his family and my wife Barbara. Two come to mind: one was the trip to Nebraska for the Junior Olympics where Joey placed 6th in the triple jump with some of the best athletes in the country. The other was the triple jump in Joey’s senior year at the state meet where Joey won with a jump of 47 feet 11 and ½ inch in an outstanding competition with a young man from Haverhill High School. Congratulations, Joey, on this outstanding award that is so well deserved.”
Joey still has the CAL record in the triple jump and the high jump. He still owns four AHS records and it will take an exceptional athlete to break them. The records are the long jump at 22 feet 9 and ½ inches, the high jump at 6 feet 10 inches, the triple jump at 47 feet 11 and ½ inches, and the high hurdles at 14.3 seconds.
Congratulations to inductee Joey DesRoches, Class of 1983.
