2020 Senior Spotlight: Joseph Roach

Due to the current coronavirus situation and all sports being shut down, there are a lot of athletes who have had their senior seasons cut short. ENC Sports Review thought it would be nice to highlight some of these seniors as a small way to celebrate their senior year, since so much has been taken from them already. Today, we will highlight Southwest Edgecombe High School Senior Joseph Roach. We thank Joseph for taking the time to sit down with ENC Sports Review and answer these questions for us. We had fun learning more about him and hope you will too!

How long have you been playing sports?

Sports have always been a huge part of my life ever since I can remember.

What teams have you been on? (This can be rec ball, middle school and high school)

I have played rec. ball in Rocky Mount and also little league in rocky mount, multiple travel ball team, West Edgecombe middle, Babe Ruth, Scholastic teams, Showcase ball, and Southwest Edgecombe high school ball.

Who has been your favorite coach and what did he or she teach you that you carry with you through today?

My favorite coach is one of my high school coaches, Bobby Hawkins, while he’s taught me many things on and off the field he teaches me in his words and actions to never take anything for granted and always play with your heart and passion.

What is your favorite memory and least favorite memory of playing sports?

To be honest, 15 years of memory’s playing the game I love makes it almost impossible to pick just one memory that’s above all the others but my “favorite” one would have to be my most recent hitting in the go ahead run against our rivals in our last game. And my least favorite memory would be when I heard the news that my senior season would be stripped from me after only 5 short games.

What is one thing or event that if you could do over again you would change?

I don’t have many regrets, I mean every time I step onto the field I give it my all and play with everything I have so that when I look back on it I won’t have to think to myself “what if I did more”.

Who is someone you look up to and why?

I look up to both of my parents, they show me the true meaning of family and the sacrifices that need to be made for the ones you truly love, and they are always there for me through my highs and my lows in life.

If you could go back 5 years and tell yourself something then that you know now what would it be?

I would tell my younger self to work harder and always put in the extra mile especially when nobody is around to see.

What is something you would tell someone trying to follow in your footsteps?

I would tell them to never stop working and to strive everyday to get better and to never take anything for granted because you never know when it could be taken away from you.

If you have played your last high school game, what is something that you will remember for the rest of your life?

If I have played my last highschool game I would remember the bond I shared with my coaches and the boys on my team and the way I felt while I was out there doing what I loved.

Feel free to add anything that I might not have asked that people would like to know about your time playing sports or your future plans.

I would just like to say that I am grateful for the many amazing opportunities that I have had throughout this amazing game and I would just like to say that I am absolutely heartbroken for every senior out there that has played their last game and ended their season earlier than expected. And I would like to say thank you to Southwest baseball for making my four short years of playing ball memorable.

Thank you again, Joseph Roach, for taking the time to be one of our 2020 senior spotlights. We wish you well on all of your future endeavors.

Attention 2020 Seniors: If you are interested in possibly being our next spotlight, please inbox us with a picture of you (head shot or action shot, or multiple pictures), your name, school, sports/positions played and answers to some or all of the questions above.

Note: All photographs have been contributed to this post from the senior’s family.