Winter sports have arrived, which means that the Red Devil Report is back! Readers can expect a roundup of all things Peekskill Athletics every Tuesday. Subscribe to our email newsletter here to make sure you never miss a report.
Girls’ Basketball
Peekskill Varsity Girls Basketball team competed in the 33rd Annual Howard Godwin Holiday Tournament at Sleepy Hollow High School last week. Other teams in the tournament included: Sleepy Hollow, Mamaroneck, Westlake, Hendrick Hudson, and Hastings.
In their first tournament match on Thursday, Dec. 5, which was also their first competitive game of the season, the Red Devils beat Sleepy Hollow, 32-22. Peekskill junior Amari Murphy led the team in points with 16 and nine rebounds (four 2-pointers and 8 out of 12 free throws). Trailing Murphy was junior Jayla Smith with 11 points (two 3-pointers, two 2-pointers, and one out of two free throws).
Following this, the Red Devils played Westlake High School in the championship final on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Westlake Wildcats proved to be the superior team during gameplay, beating the Peekskill girls, 62-22. Peekskill’s top scorer was Amari Murphy once again during this game, scoring 16 points (five 3-pointers and one out of six free throws). Westlake’s Maggie Plotkin and Olivia Celaj were tied for most points for the Westlake girls, with 12.
“It was a tough loss but we are a developing team that faced a strong opponent. I’m proud of the team’s resilience and determination as they never stopped fighting to give their best effort until the final whistle,” said coach Nyrie Holliman.
Peekskill’s Murphy and Jayla Smith were recognized for their performances by being selected for the All-Tournament team.
Up next for the Peekskill girls is Nanuet on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Nanuet Senior High School at 5 p.m. The girls will also participate in the Elmsford Classic Tournament this weekend, with their first game being against Yonkers CSEE on Thursday.
Boys’ Basketball
On Monday, Dec. 9, the Peekskill Varsity Boys Basketball team traveled to Orangeburg to face Tappan Zee High School in their season opener. The end-to-end game finished in a 66-44 loss for the Red Devils.
Peekskill senior Jaden Chavis scored a team-high 19 points for the Red Devils. Trailing him was Isaiah Crawford with 14.
This season, a lot of eyes will be on the Peekskill boys basketball team to see if they can replicate the standards they set for themselves last year. The Red Devils will want to put their latest performance behind them as soon as possible and regroup. Only time will tell if the boys will be able to perform under this new added pressure this season.
The Peekskilll boys will have one day to rest before their first game at home on Wednesday, Dec. 11 against Lakeland at Peekskill High School at 6:15 pm.
Wrestling
On Thursday, Dec. 5, Peekskill’s Varsity Wrestling team lost to FDR Hyde Park High School, 72-5. Peekskill senior Kedwind Ramos was the only wrestler to score for the Red Devils, via an 18-3 technical fall at 190 lbs.
Two days later, the Peekskill wrestling team participated in the White Plains Tiger Invitational at White Plains High School. The team faced four teams – Holy Trinity (45-18), Bellport (72-0), Mamaroneck (60-16), and Rye (60-6), and failed to secure a team victory.
For their next meet, the Red Devils will take on Ardsley High School on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at Peekskill High School at 6 p.m. The boys will also face Mount Vernon on Friday, Dec. 13 at Mount Vernon High School at 5 p.m. and participate in a wrestling tournament over the weekend at Nyack High School.
Winter Track
A few Peekskill track stars shined at two different competitions this past weekend to kick off the winter track season. On Saturday, Dec. 7, the Peekskill Varsity Winter Track & Field team participated in the annual ‘Big Chill’ invitational at Yorktown High School. For the Peekskill girls, Arisa Specce placed first in race walking, Imani Felder placed first in the long and high jump, and Valeria Otavalo placed third in the 1,500 meter run. For the boys, Oscar Curillo, Jerry Duran, Trenton Fugah, and Jermaine Carter, finished second in the 4 x 800 meters relay at 9:47:90.
Then the following day, on Sunday, Dec. 8, the Red Devils competed in the Section 1 kick off meet at the Armory Track in New York City. For the Peekskill girls, Arisa Specce placed first in race walking and Imani Felder placed second in high jump and third in long jump. For the Peekskill boys, Phurious Ellis placed second in the high jump with a personal record of 1.57 meters.
Up next for the Peekskill Varsity Winter Track team is a meet at Rockland Community College on Tuesday, Dec.10 at 4:30 p.m.
Bowling
It was a mixed opening week for the Peekskill Varsity Bowling team. On Wednesday, Dec. 4, Peekskill fell to Walter Panas, with both the boys and girls teams losing by a score of 7-0. In those games, Odali Alfaro led the Peekskill girls in points with 330 and Elijah Resendes led the boys with 468.
On Thursday, Dec. 5, the Red Devils defeated Horace Greeley. The Peekskill boys walked away with a 7-0 victory and the girls with a 5-2 victory. In those games, Kimberly Alfaro led the Peekskill girls in points with 325 and Elijah Resendes led the boys with 514.
Next games for the Red Devils are against Lakeland on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 3:30 p.m. and Somers on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 3:30, both at Cortlandt Lanes.
