It’s been a season full of firsts for the Saugus-Peabody wrestling team, which is undefeated against Massachusetts teams with a program-best record of 23-1 (its only loss was to Salem N.H.).
A Northeastern Conference dual-meet crown with an unblemished record, the team’s first Cape Ann League/Northeastern Conference tournament championship, and a new all-time leader in career wins in senior captain Max LoRusso (134), to boot.
This past weekend, Saugus-Peabody added another first to its already-lengthy list of achievements, courtesy of senior Anna Felicio.
All she did was make history as the first state champion in program history. She also became the first Saugus High School female student-athlete to win an individual state wrestling championship.
“Honestly, going in, I was nervous that it all depended on me to be the first person to win it,” Felicio said. “I had wrestled her before, so I knew I would win, but you never know what can happen in a match. I was really focused and knew what I needed to do based on my coaches telling me.”
It happened Saturday in the MIAA Girls Division 1 State Championship at North Andover High. The No. 1 seed at 107 pounds, Felicio defeated No. 3 Alexia Henriques Silva of North Andover, 16-1, in the championship bout to clinch the title.
Felicio jumped out to a 10-0 lead and intentionally allowed Silva to escape on advice from her coaches.
“They told me to let her up, so I could take her down again. So, I cut her and then took her down again to make it 13-1,” she said. “Then, I go up to 16-1 midway through the second period and that’s when the match ended on a technical fall.”
Better yet, she took up the sport during her sophomore year and became a regular starter just this year.
“Anna was awesome all day,” said Coach Wayne Moda. “She had two quick pins in her quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, and then dominated the final match against Alexia – last year’s state finalist. I am incredibly proud of Anna for the amount of effort she has put into this wrestling season. Although this is only her third year in wrestling, this is truly her first year where she has fully committed to the sport. This year, she’s turned it on and started to do some offseason work. She really put in the work in the weight room as well and all of that is paying off.”
Earlier this year, Felicio announced she will continue her wrestling career at Western New England College.
“I went on a college tour and talked to some coaches who said they were watching my season and liked the way I wrestled,” said Felicio, adding she also considered Sacred Heart University. “But, it was just a little too far away for me.”
Felicio plans to major in criminal justice and hopes to – some day – work with the FBI.
Felicio’s record now stands at 40-14. Twenty-nine of her wins have come against boys, which Moda described as “impressive,” adding he isn’t surprised by Felicio’s sudden success.
“She’s fantastic on her feet, she’s quick, and she’s pretty technically sound,” Moda said. “She has a handful of moves that she’s really good at and she’s always tough and feisty. She’s been impressing me all year, wrestling all boys and she’s done well and has done extremely well in the girls tournaments as well.”
Currently ranked third among girls in Massachusetts and eighth in New England, Moda said Felicio, likely, should receive the No. 2 seed in this weekend’s MIAA Girls All-States Championship Meet at Methuen High. He expects her to make some noise.
“She isn’t done yet,” Moda said.
Felicio hopes the same.
“I’d love to get first place, but I am definitely hopeful that I can place,” she said. “There is a really tough girl in Division 3 named Samantha Bertini, who is in the top in the boys’ rankings, so I have a lot more training this week.”
Felicio said she will be scrimmaging against wrestlers from other teams “to learn what I can get caught in and avoid those mistakes at all-states. I really need to stay focused all week.”
Felicio said this season has been about honoring the memory of former teammate Freddy Espinal, who died suddenly prior to the start of the season.
“We’re all just doing it for Freddy,” she said. “Still and always. At states, I definitely felt I was wrestling as two people with Freddy. I was 200 percent and not myself at 100 percent.”
