Longtime Peabody High Coach Tabbed As New Athletic Director

PEABODY, MA — After 13 seasons of guiding the Peabody High varsity girls soccer and girls lacrosse programs to prominence, Dennis Desroches is taking on the challenge of running the district's whole physical education, health and athletic department.

Desroches will become the new Director of Athletics, Director of Physical Education and Director of Comprehensive Health in the district this fall, according to Superintendent of Schools Josh Vadala, as schools eye the first season of real normalcy after more than a year of coronavirus-related disruption.

"He was a decorated coach for us for girls lacrosse and girls soccer and had a lot of success with those teams," Vadala told Patch on Wednesday. "We're really excited to see him lead the athletic department and take it to new heights."

Desroches replaces Bob Bua, who said this spring he was leaving the AD's position to go back to the classroom as a high school history teacher.

"We are going to support him in that transition and he has been great working with us to bring on the new athletic director," Vadala said.

While Desroches' promotion is a boon for the greater athletics department, it will be a loss for the two programs he coached to the top of the Northeastern Conference for more than a decade. Vadala said that while the district does not have any rules preventing administrators from coaching teams, Desroches has agreed to vacate both coaching positions and lead the search for his successor.

"It's a pretty comprehensive job," Vadala said of having the health and physical education component tied into the AD's position. "I think in order to do it well you need to take a step out of coaching.

"Dennis is ready to step into a new role and he will be looking for a new soccer coach and a new girls lacrosse over the next few months. I think he can bring so much to the department that he really will help us (in that capacity)."

Desroches makes the move following a chaotic 16 months for everyone involved with high school sports. After the cancellation of the winter 2020 state championship games, the entire spring 2020 season and most summer activities, high school athletics returned with rule modifications for some sports this fall that grew less and less restrictive as the year went on.

The spring sports season was the first since fall 2019 to include a full state tournament with state champions crowned in baseball, softball, lacrosse, outdoor track, boys volleyball, rugby, spring golf, tennis and wrestling.

"School sports are so important because there is great pride in putting on that hometown uniform," Vadala said. "We have a lot of athletes who do private clubs, and they do well there, but there is whole other thing about playing for your hometown."

Vadala said he is hoping that stability will carry over into what is expected to be a much more traditional fall season for all sports.

"Academics and athletics really go hand in hand and having that outlet is critically important," Vadala said. "Students benefit from that structure. You can see the athletes who play multiple sports that when they do have that one season they take off, and they don't have that structure, that may be the one time where their grades might slip.

"The more kids you have in sports, and in extracurricular activities in general, the better off you are with well-rounded students."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)