Due to the snow over the weekend, several athletic contests were canceled on Monday, Jan. 26, including a swim meet against Lakeland, a girls basketball game versus Port Chester, a boys basketball game against Brewster, and a novice track meet at The Armory. Additional cancellations followed on Tuesday, Jan. 27, including the girls basketball game against Keio Academy and the wrestling dual meet versus Ossining.

Boys Basketball

The Peekskill Red Devils suffered another setback last week, falling at home to Roosevelt, 87-76, on Jan. 23.

Peekskill showed early energy in the opening quarter, with AJ Jenkins opening the scoring with a three-pointer. Darius Smythe quickly made his presence felt, scoring both inside and from beyond the arc as Peekskill briefly controlled the tempo. Smythe’s three-pointer midway through the quarter pushed Peekskill ahead 10-5, but Roosevelt responded behind the hot shooting of Frank Mercedes.

Mercedes connected on multiple three-pointers in the first quarter, helping the Sharks regain the lead. Roosevelt capitalized on transition opportunities and turnovers down the stretch, closing the opening frame on a run to take a 22-13 advantage.

Roosevelt continued to build momentum in the second quarter, opening with a three and following it up with several fast-break layups to extend the lead to 29-13. Peekskill fought to stay within striking distance as Smythe, Joseph Walker, and Titus Matthias each contributed baskets. However, Roosevelt’s ability to score quickly—particularly from the perimeter—kept the Red Devils on their heels. Mercedes buried his third three of the half as Roosevelt pushed the lead to 40-23. Despite late baskets from Walker, Matthias, and Jah Williams, Peekskill trailed 48-35 at halftime.

The Sharks struck first in the third quarter, but Smythe answered with a deep three from the right corner. Peekskill briefly found rhythm as Walker converted an and-one and Smythe scored on consecutive possessions, cutting the deficit to 59-49. Any momentum was short-lived, however, as Mercedes drained his fifth three of the night and Roosevelt again pulled away, closing the quarter ahead 72-54.

Roosevelt opened the fourth quarter with another three from Akeem Perry and maintained control throughout the final period. Peekskill continued to battle, getting late contributions from Walker, Amir Gonzalez, and Christian Smith, but the deficit proved too much to overcome. Roosevelt sealed the victory with steady interior scoring and timely responses to Peekskill runs, securing the 87-76 win. Smythe led Peekskill with a team-high 28 points, while Walker added 18.

Now 2-7 on the season, Peekskill will look to rebound when it hosts Horace Greeley on Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m. The Red Devils will then travel to Yorktown on Friday, Jan. 30, for a 4:30 p.m. matchup before returning home to host Putnam Valley on Monday, Feb. 2, at 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball

Peekskill split a pair of games over a three-day span, going 1-1. The Red Devils earned a tight 38-34 road win over The Leffell School on Jan. 21, before dropping a 44-32 decision at Roosevelt on Jan. 23.

Nai’lah Smalls paced Peekskill in the victory against Leffell with 18 points, while eighth grader Riley Jenkins added 11.

In the loss to Roosevelt, Smalls scored a team-high 15 points, and JaCyla Sherril contributed eight.

Peekskill now stands at 5-7 overall. The Red Devils will next host Poughkeepsie on Wednesday, Feb. 4, with tip-off scheduled for 4:45 p.m.

Indoor Track

Members of Peekskill’s varsity boys indoor track team competed in the Westchester County Championships on Jan. 24 at The Armory in New York City. Tamick Tompkins placed 10th in the high jump, clearing 1.63 meters, while Gregory Tompkins III finished 36th in the 300-meter dash with a time of 40.68 seconds.

In the 600-meter run, Erick Quinche (33rd) and Anderson Marin (42nd) both set personal records, clocking 1:38.18 and 1:41.30, respectively. Oscar Curillo placed 29th among more than 50 competitors in the 1,000-meter run, finishing in 2:58.42.

The Red Devils will have two weeks to prepare for their next competition, the Section 1 Class Championships, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 15 at The Armory.

Boys Swimming

Miranda Mattiace and her Peekskill varsity boys swim team earned their first win of the season on Jan. 21, defeating Port Chester 84-67 at home. The meet also served as Senior Night, honoring seniors Justin Vizhnay, Jeam Ilaquiche, Jostin Segarra, and Alex Bello.

The Red Devils recorded several first-place finishes, led by Erick Morocho, Marcello Rossi, Alex Ninan, and Alex Velasco in the 200 medley relay (2:11.33). Gael Toapanta won both the 200 freestyle (2:45.55) and the 100 freestyle (1:11.62), while Morocho captured the 100 backstroke (1:20.08). Rossi placed first in the 100 breaststroke (1:26.91), Velasco won the 50 freestyle (28.07), and Ninan took the 100 butterfly (1:16.24).

“This win shows the hard work and dedication our team has been putting in,” head coach Miranda Mattiace said in an email to the Peekskill Herald. “This meet could have gone either way, but we fought hard to get those first-place spots.”

Two days later, on Jan. 23, Peekskill fell 78-74 in an away meet against Woodlands. Vizhnay placed first in the 200 freestyle (2:49.24), and Morocho won the 50 freestyle (28.38). Ilaquiche (34.88) and Bello (36.30) each posted personal-best times in the 50 freestyle.

Peekskill’s final dual meet, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 26 against Lakeland, was canceled due to snow. The Red Devils will next compete in the Section 1 League 2 Championships on Saturday, Jan. 31, at Mark Twain Pool in Yonkers.

Wrestling

Peekskill suffered a tough road loss to Tappan Zee in a dual meet on Jan. 20, falling 70-12. Stephen Cordero (175 pounds) recorded the Red Devils’ lone pin at 2:48, while the remaining six points came via forfeit.

The Red Devils returned to the mats on Jan. 24 at the Gene Brigham Memorial tournament at Minisink Valley Middle School. Peekskill placed 11th out of 14 teams with a score of 49.5, led by junior captain Stephen Cordero, who captured a first-place finish at 175 pounds. Cordero earned his title with an 11-4 decision over Wallkill’s Ian Trozzi, marking the first tournament championship of his career. According to head coach Andre Lee, Cordero now stands at 20-7 on the season with 15 pins.

Peekskill now enters a busy stretch of competition. The Red Devils will travel to Nyack for a dual meet on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 4:30 p.m., before hosting Ossining at Peekskill Middle School on Friday, Jan. 30, for Senior Night at 4:30 p.m. Later that evening, Peekskill’s girls wrestlers will head to Nyack at 5:15 p.m. to compete in the 2026 Nyack Girls Wrestling Freestyle Tournament. On Saturday, Jan. 31, Peekskill will compete in the Mahopac Memorial Tournament at Mahopac High School beginning at 9 a.m.

Bowling

On Jan. 21, the Peekskill boys bowling team suffered a 7-0 loss to Somers, while the girls team received a bye. Dillon Sniffen led Peekskill with a 457 series, rolling games of 148, 171, and 138. Aiden Santiago contributed a 294 series.

A scheduled match against John Jay on Jan. 22 was canceled.

The Peekskill boys currently hold a 2-9 record. The Red Devils return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 28, and Thursday, Jan. 29, with both matches scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Hudson Lanes and Games. Opponents have yet to be announced.

College Watch 

Wrestling – Division III The Hunter College wrestling team split three dual matches at the New York vs. Pennsylvania Duals on Jan. 17. Naseer Johnson (Peekskill Class of 2024) earned two victories at 184 pounds, highlighted by a 13-4 major decision. On Jan. 24, Johnson went 1-1 in a tri-match against Alfred State College and Kean University, recording a 19-4 technical fall over Kean’s Koran Hinton.

Track & Field – Division III Plattsburgh State’s Isaiah Ritter (Peekskill Class of 2023) placed second in the long jump at the St. Lawrence Invitational on Jan. 24, clearing 6.59 meters.

Mens Basketball – NJCAA Region 15 Jaden Chavis (Peekskill Class of 2025) scored 15 points, tying for the team high, to lead Rockland Community College to a 63-55 win over Queensborough Community College on Jan. 20. He followed that performance with 11 points in an 87-62 victory over UCNJ on Jan. 22.