Chad Peters Express-News Staff Writer
The finish line several tantalizing feet away, Boerne junior Lorin Wilson collapsed to his knees at last week's Region IV-4A cross country meet.
His head hanging and his back arched, Wilson sat in anguish as what would have been a second-place finish appeared to be slipping away.
One runner passed Wilson. A pack of several more was closing. He felt his hopes of advancing to the state meet dashing away.
Suddenly, he thrust himself off the ground and lumbered across the finish line to secure third place and a trip to Saturday's UIL state meet in Round Rock.
His inspiration for the revival was simple: the presence of his mother, Victoria, at the race.
"It gets lonely out there," said Lorin, who is making his third trip to state. "She doesn't get to come real often, so every time she does come I just like to run real hard for her."
Victoria Agle-Wilson, a first lieutenant in the Air Force, had spent 15 months stationed in Incirlik, Turkey, before returning home in June.