Arthur Felicio tried to stay seated during the match he couldn’t believe he was coaching.
But every point that brought him closer to a state championship as a 21-year-old head coach in his first season at the varsity level brought him to his feet.
The Medfield girls’ volleyball skipper wouldn’t be there without his ability to rise quickly. It was his maturity and speedy application for the JV job the year prior that caught the eye of then-varsity coach Jerry Shu.
Following that JV season, the Medford Vocational Technical High School grad was on his way to earning MVP of the men’s volleyball team at Dean College as a sophomore when he was elevated to varsity coach.
“[Medfield athletic Director Eric Scott] and Jerry wanted to take a gamble on me and I appreciate them taking that risk,” Felicio said. “I don’t know how many kids my age get the chance to coach varsity right away while they’re still in college. They really took a gamble on me.”
Felicio made his own daring decisions entering the MIAA tournament, which included switching up his offensive system to use one setter.
In the championship match against Weston, which had beaten Medfield four of their previous five matchups, including a sweep in the previous final, the move proved crucial. The Warriors came away with a 25-14, 25-23, 25-21 sweep for its first title since 2010.
He put his trust in Ava Pender to center the offense and be a defensive presence at the net. It paid off, with the junior delivering 23 assists, 3 kills, and 2 blocks, crucially stifling Division 3 Player of the Year Fielding Mayhugh (now at Providence College).
“We won, so I guess it worked,” laughed Pender, now a senior captain along with Kendall Larkin and Lianna Kane. “It was kind of scary because I never blocked before where I’m blocking a D1 commit, so I was like ‘Oh, great.’ But it actually ended up working well.”
Added Scott: “He made tough decisions during the postseason, things he saw that he needed to get over the hump. I pulled him aside afterwards and said, ‘You did something many people at any age haven’t done.’ ”
From the start of the 2024 season, Felicio established who he’d be for his athletes. It was key for someone just a few years older to demonstrate the dynamic: he is not a peer, but a coach.
“The way he handled our team when we first came in was so impressive,” said Larkin, a Globe All-Scholastic selection after leading the team in kills and earning Tri-Valley League MVP honors. “He has such a calm but professional way of coaching us, and he is so extremely supportive of every single one of us.
“He’s an amazing coach.”
Shu, who coaches the varsity boys’ team in the spring, emphasizes that the two programs will be a family, making sure he’s there for the coaches and players when they need. His wife, Alice Fong, whom many refer to as “Mama Shu,” is a steadying presence too, and often a provider of snacks.
Shu attended the championship match, but kept away during the regular season so there was no confusion — Felicio’s achievements were all his own.
“[Felicio] did it,” Shu said. “No one can say he’s too young or has no experience. This is the moment of ‘I did it, I proved you wrong.’ I’m super proud of him and all the work he did . . . I want to see him succeed and become a mainstream name as a coach.”
The accolades keep coming. Felicio was awarded Most Improved player at Dean in the spring for his leadership as junior captain, and named to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team a second time. He “searched everywhere” but cannot find an example of a state champion coach his age.
He was not alone in making a title run. His sister, Anna, earned a Division 1 wrestling championship at 107 pounds for the Saugus/Peabody co-op. She broke out in her second year with the sport, earning third at the co-ed CAL/NEC tournament, and will wrestle at Western New England.
“I think I pushed myself because I saw how great he was doing,” she said. “I know my parents [Eunice and Ronaldo] were proud of us both. They were really excited for when it was my turn to win a championship, saying it would be cool if you both did it.”
Now back in the fall season, coach Felicio believes it could be his turn again. He’s out to “show [last season] wasn’t a fluke.”
“He has a side to him that’s goofy, and we can have fun with him,” said Kane. “But we can also lock in and be serious and know what we need to do.
“He sees the best in all of us. I think that makes him a really great coach.”
Set points
▪ In a change that was “a shock” to Barnstable coach Tom Turco, the Red Hawks were moved down a division. In his 40th year with the program, which includes 38 years coaching varsity, 18 D1 championships, and a 781-86 record, the team has never competed in Division 2.
“We’re looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s a whole new set of teams that you’ve got to think about and be concerned about. There are really good teams in D2. Canton, Oliver Ames, Longmeadow. These are new studies for me.”
Barnstable last reached the Division 1 final in 2023, taking Newton North to five sets but falling 2 points short.
▪ Three teams that reached the 2024 finals are up a division: Westborough (D2 to D1), Bellingham (D4 to D3), and Bourne (D5 to D4).
Four-time D4 champion Ipswich, the only team to win championships since the division was introduced in 2021, graduated all of its starters. All other teams that have reached the D4 final (Medway, Case, Bellingham) are now in D3.
▪ A significant NFHS rule change for this season (9-4-8c) allows points to continue if there is a double contact on the second touch of a possession. This will mostly affect setters, and ease the learning curve for inexperienced players.
AJ Traub can be reached at aj.traub@globe.com. Follow him on X @aj_traub and Instagram @ajt37.