The Railiners were recognized at the USD 373 Board of Education meeting on Dec. 9. Thirteen individuals represented Newton in the state competition. The board will acknowledge any team that places fourth or better in their competitions, although there are some exceptions for other state placements. 

For the past four years, the Railiners have been awarded state medals after competing in the final round against five other schools. In 2021 they brought home sixth-place medals and in both 2022 and 2023 they brought home the third-place plaque. This year, they worked extremely hard to bring home the second-place plaque. 

“We start prepping for state in August and are one of the only schools from this area. There are only a couple of others that come from this far south. Most of the other teams that compete are big Kansas City schools,” head coach Amy Pollard said. 

Pollard expressed how proud she felt when hearing that her girls were state runner-ups. She also noted that a lot went down with their team this year and explained how she could not be prouder of them. 

“We walk into state with blind eyes so we work our butts off and hope for the best. We were nervous this year. We didn’t know what anyone else looked like so we were just hoping to make it to the top six,” Pollard said.

Rileigh Hankins has been a member of the Railiners since her freshman year. Hankins has had the opportunity to be a part of the team for all four years, during which they’ve won state medals each year. 

“To be recognized by the Board feels amazing just because it shows that people do see our hard work and that we are continuing to grow and they’re seeing that and supporting us in that way,” Hankins said.