Basketball players Jaden Chavis and Amari Murphy, both hit personal milestones of 1,000 varsity points last week.
Boys’ Basketball
The Peekskill Varsity Boys Basketball team silenced their doubters with three decisive victories this past week.
On Monday, Jan. 6, the Peekskill boys ended their three game losing streak with a win over Harrison, 67-57. Jaden Chavis led Peekskill in points with 25. Trailing him was Justin Headley with 18 and Isaiah Crawford with 12.
Two days later, on Jan. 8, the Red Devils traveled to Lewisboro to face John Jay Cross River High School (JJCR). Crawford and Chavis led Peekskill to a 66-40 win over JJCR. In that game, Crawford scored 23 and Chavis scored 22.
Then, on Friday, Jan. 10, the Peekskill boys finished their week in style, beating Somers, 70-59, at home. For the Red Devils, Chavis scored 35 points and Crawford scored 21.
Peekskill’s game against Somers was a special night for senior Jaden Chavis, whose 35 points helped him surpass 1,000 varsity points. Following the game, Coach Tyrone Searight wrote on X, “I am proud of Jaden. A great great accomplishment, you deserve it young man. Your upside is good. I’m just thankful to be a part of your success.”
Last season, Chavis exploded onto the scene and helped his team win their first Gold Ball since 2009. The All-State standout has continued to impress this campaign, scoring 239 points in 10 games.
For his recent performances, Chavis has been nominated for Lohud’s “Boys Basketball Player of the Week”. Vote for Chavis here. (The poll closes on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. and the winner will be announced on Lohud’s social media pages.)
Peekskill currently holds an overall record of six wins and four losses. Their next game is against Ardsley on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Ardsley High School at 4:30 p.m. The Red Devils will also play Hen Hud on Thursday, Jan. 16 at home at 4:30 p.m.
Girls’ Basketball
The Peekskill Varsity Girls Basketball team has not started 2025 on the right foot.
On Wednesday, Jan. 8, the girls lost to John Jay Cross River (JJCR), 63-34, their first competitive game in 22 days. The Red Devils were led in points by Amari Murphy with 19 and Riley Jenkins with six.
While the result was disappointing, the Peekskill girls still supported and congratulated Amari Murphy, whose 19 points helped her reach and surpass 1,000 varsity points. Read more about Murphy here.
It didn’t get any better for the Red Devils on Friday, Jan. 10, when they lost to Eastchester 58-29 (away game). Amari Murphy and Jealina Searight led the Peekskill girls in points with 10.
The Peekskill girls currently hold an overall record of three wins and five losses. For their next match, Peekskill will host Ardsley on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 4:45 p.m. They will also play Hen Hud on Thursday, Jan. 16 at Hen Hud High School at 4:30 p.m. and Scarsdale B on Friday, Jan, 17 at Scarsdale High School at 4:30 p.m.
Winter Track
On Monday, Jan. 6, Peekskill competed in the Section 1 Dendy Invitational at Rockland Community College.
For the girls. Arisa Specce placed first in the 1,500 m race walk with a time of 8:32.62 and Imani Felder placed second in the high jump at 4-06.
For the boys, Jermaine Carter placed first in the 600 meter run with a time of 1:31.66.
Up next for the Peekskill Winter Track & Field team is a meet on Monday, Jan. 20 at the Armory Track in New York City.
Boys’ Swimming
After ending 2024 with two losses, the Peekskill-Hen Hud-Haldane Varsity Swim picked up a much needed victory over Woodlands on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 99-51.
In other news, senior swimmer Marcus Pruitt was selected as January’s “Athlete of the Month” by the district.
When reached by the Herald, Coach Alana Donabie said “Marcus Pruitt has stepped up this year into the role of captain. He has shown tremendous growth inside and outside of the pool. Marcus is someone that I can look to as a coach for insightful information about how he feels the team is doing, what he feels is working and what he thinks we should change.”
“I am extremely proud of who Marcus has become and how much he has matured in this last year. We will be sad to see him go at the end of this year but we are excited to see what his future holds.”
Pruitt and his fellow senior swimmers will be recognized at their Senior Night on Tuesday, Jan. 14 against Pearl River at home at 5:15 p.m. The boys will also swim against Nyack on Wednesday, Jan, 15 at home at 5:00 p.m. and Port Chester on Friday, Jan. 17 at home at 4:30 p.m.
Wrestling
Peekskill’s Varsity Wrestling team faced defeat this past week.
On Wednesday, Jan. 8, Peekskill lost to Brewster, 60-15, in a league contest. Tony Monchinski at 152 lbs (sudden victory – 1; 21-18), Tommaso Sodano at 170 lbs (pin at 2:48), and Ramses Perez at 285 lbs (pin at 1:05), all scored for the Red Devils.
The team lost to Yorktown on Thursday, Jan. 9, 47-25. Picking up points for Peekskill were Tony Monchinski (decision; 19-13), Tommaso Sodano (forfeit), Kedwind Ramos at 190 lbs (major decision; 16-3), George Vazquez at 215 lbs (forfeit), and Ramses Perez (pin).
Over the weekend, Peekskill competed in the Hen Hud Sailor Varsity Wrestling Classic. According to Coach Andre Lee, Peekskill placed 18th out of 27 teams. Tony Monchinski got second place in the 145-pound class and Ramses Perez got fifth place in the 285-pound class.
For their next duel, Peekskill will take on John Jay Cross River on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at John Jay Cross River High School at 5 p.m.
On Friday, Jan. 17, the district will host a Red Devil All-Girls Round Robin Wrestling Tournament at the Peekskill High School gymnasium. According to Athletic Director Austin Goldberg, rosters are not confirmed but they anticipate 12-20 schools sending female athletes to compete. The event is set to start at 3:30 p.m.
Finally, Peekskill will compete in the annual Eric D’Agnese Memorial Somers Tournament this weekend at Somers High School.
Flag Football
The girls flag football season is set to kick off in a few months and the district has put out a call for any girls in grades 7-12 who are interested in playing.
Anyone who is interested, must fill out this form.
All photos courtesy of the Peekskill City School District.
To make sure you never miss a Peekskill Athletics story, sign up for our email list.