Saugus’ Felicio wrestles her way into record books with state title win

By Dom Nicastro

Saugus-Peabody wrestling has its first state-champion in the program: Saugus’ Anna Felicio. The Saugus High School senior and one-time cheerleader won at 107 pounds; she won her event at the Division 1 state championship. She advanced to this coming weekend’s All-State championship, featuring all divisions in Massachusetts, and she will likely be the No. 2 ranked wrestler at 107 pounds. Her current season record is 40-14.

“Anna was awesome all day,” Saugus-Peabody wrestling coach Wayne Moda said. “She had two quick pins in her quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. She then dominated in the finals match against last year’s state finalist from North Andover (Alexia Henriques) with a tech fall early in the second period. I am incredibly proud of Anna for the amount of effort she has put in this wrestling season. Although this is her third year in wrestling, it is truly her first year where she has fully committed to the sport. Throughout the year, she wrestled in our starting lineup at the 106-pound weight class and amassed an impressive 29 wins against boys.”

Felicio wrestled her state finals opponent in December and the outcome was the same: a tech fall.

“But I went into the match humble knowing anything could happen,” Felicio said. “The match was nerve-racking, but once I stepped foot on the line all my thoughts went silent, and I was ready to wrestle. The other matches were easy for me – all under a minute – but I went to work and did what needed to be done. The girl in the semis I have also wrestled before, and I pinned her both times. My first match of the day was also a girl I wrestled on my senior night.”

Felicio, a third-year wrestler, had a simple game plan: focus, prove to herself that she has worked so hard for this and to believe she could get it done. “I executed by being calm and listening to my coach,” she said. “The toughest moment of the tournament was trying not to get in my own head. I knew I could get this far in my season because I’ve prepared myself both physically and mentally. I’ve wrestled tough boys this whole season, and I put in the work at practice so I could be the best version of myself.”

The journey to this moment wasn’t always easy. Felicio had to develop resilience, learning how to push through challenges both mentally and physically. “My biggest improvement since I started is definitely not giving up on myself,” she said. “I used to be so quick on giving up, but I learned from my mistakes and it has only made me a better wrestler.”

Her achievement holds even greater weight given that wrestling is still a male-dominated sport. “Being a state champ in a male-dominant sport means everything to me because I worked hard for this,” Felicio said. “As a girl, it is hard to get recognized for hard work when the guys will always be above us, but when achieving big things like a state title, people start to know. I’m hoping my win can inspire other girl wrestlers to just stay focused and dedicated because if you put the work in, you will always see results.”

Though she’s the only girl on her team, she’s never felt like an outsider. “I’m the only girl on my team and they treat me like a little sister,” she said. “I’m honestly grateful to have such awesome and supportive teammates.”

Her advice to younger wrestlers is simple: embrace the grind and take every opportunity to improve. “Never give up, wrestle all year around,” Felicio said. “Meeting new people at clubs can help improve your wrestling style. Always take the opportunity to wrestle guys because that will make you stronger.”

Would you believe Felicio’s own wrestling journey started after a chance encounter? “I got into wrestling because I saw the wrestling team one day after my cheer practice, and I thought it was so cool,” she said. “So I talked to Wayne, and I started doing club so that I could be ready for the next season.”

That conversation changed everything. She quit cheer to wrestle full-time, dedicating herself to the sport both in-season and in the gym. She even has a boyfriend in the same sport: She celebrated the state title with her boyfriend, Shawsheen’s Dante Giusti, who also won a state title at 120.

Now, her ambitions don’t stop at a state title. “I’m planning to get a title at All-States and New Englands,” Felicio said.

Her wrestling career will continue beyond high school, as she recently committed to Western New England University in West Springfield.

As she reflects on her success, she credits one person above all. “My biggest influence has been my coach,” Felicio said. “He practices with me some days, gives me constructive criticism, and pushes me to my limits. He is the best coach I could ever ask for.”

Felicio’s victory wasn’t just about winning a state title – it was about proving something to herself.

“When I heard my name get announced so many emotions rushed through my mind,” she said, “but I ran over to my coach with tears because he’s always been my number one supporter and has helped me throughout everything.”

Saugus-Peabody also advanced three boys at the Division 1 state tournament this past weekend. Senior Landon Rodriguez (132) of Peabody wrestled tough. Junior captain Michael Maraio of Peabody also wrestled greatly but ran into tough competition, eventually coming up 1-2 on the day. Senior Saugus captain Max LoRusso wrestled in the deepest weight class in the state at 144 and went 3-3 on the day, earning him seventh place and an alternate spot at the All-State tournament in Methuen this weekend.

“I was super proud of the effort all three of these guys put in all season,” Moda said. “Max has been battling all year long at the toughest weight in the state. There are just so many good guys at 144 pounds. In D1 North alone, there were two or three guys that didn’t make it out of the section, and at the D1 states there were nine legit wrestlers that are probably better than (with the exception of two) all the others in Division 2 and Division 3 combined. Only two points separated him from finishing fifth or sixth. It’s tough because he’s been such a great leader and a hard worker all season long that I really feel like he deserves a shot in all states. We’re hoping that he makes it in as an alternate.”

LoRusso is 50-10 on the season and, with 134 career wins, is the program’s all-time leader.