ALBANY - For as busy as he was, Laith Alsous could hear his mom, Safa, screaming encouragement to him from the front row of seats at the Times Union Center.

She was who Alsous ran to quickly after winning Section VI's only wrestling state championship in three tries. The Lewiston-Porter heavyweight hugged his coaches, then stormed right for the railing after a 3-2 win against Jacob Morrison of Unatego (Section IV).