BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Kennadi Mollett, a standout athlete at Martin County High School, officially signed with Coach Jeannie Stone and the University of Pikeville Cheerleader program in a ceremony Thursday in the MCHS Auditorium.

A dual-sport athlete, Mollett has excelled as a varsity cheerleader for two years and a basketball player for four years at Martin County.

MCHS Principal Jason James welcomed everyone to the ceremony, praising Mollett as a student and athlete and applauding her opportunity.

“We’re really proud of her,” James said. “She’s been a great role model on and off the court and we’re excited for her. This is a great opportunity.”

Mollett expressed her gratitude for the opportunity and thanked her supporters.

“I couldn’t be where I am without everybody,” she said. “I’m very blessed and thankful.”

In November, Mollett and the MCHS Cheerleaders won the KHSAA Region 8 All-Girls Super Division championship. They followed that with a fifth-place finish in the state competition in December.

MCHS cheerleader coach Nikki Moore is excited for Mollett.

“I’m glad she is getting the opportunity and will represent Martin County at the college level,” Moore said. “She will be an asset to UPIKE’s team.”

During Mollett’s tenure with the Lady Cardinals basketball team, she has shown exceptional leadership and athleticism. A four-year varsity starter, she helped the program to an impressive 97-39 overall record, consecutive district tournament and conference titles and tournament achievements.

Lady Cards assistant basketball coach Boo Newsome commended Mollett as one of the “hardest-working athletes” she has ever coached.

“You don’t have to be any kind of coach to see her leadership qualities,” Newsome said. “Kennadi works hard at anything she does, not just sports. UPIKE is getting a good one. She’s been a blessing to us.”

Head basketball coach Robin Newsome also praised Mollett.

“I’m not a cheer coach, but I’m honored to speak today on behalf of Kennadi,” R. Newsome said. “She’s a team player; she puts her team first.”

R. Newsome described Mollett as someone who looks after the younger basketball players from middle school playing on the high school team.

“I tell her to look after my babies,” explained R. Newsome. “When we have camps, you will know where Kennadi is because all the preschool and kindergarten kids will have her surrounded. They all love her … She carries them around, cleans their noses … Whatever they need, she is there for them… She will succeed at anything she does.”

Mentioning Coach Stone’s achievements, R. Newsome said, “Kennadi is signing with the Cadillac of cheer coaches in the 15th Region.”

In her 11th season at UPIKE, Coach Stone has numerous achievements under her belt. She won a national championship in 2021 and four Mid-South Conference championships. At Pikeville High School for 36 years before taking the coaching position at UPIKE, Stone won over a dozen state and 23 regional titles.

“The reason we’re successful is because we look for girls like Kennadi,” Stone said. “Our program has built itself through the young ladies that we have recruited. When I went to UPIKE, because of my high school experience, I knew that we had enough talent in our region and surrounding areas that we could build a wonderful program using athletes from our area—and we’ve done that. The athletes we have at UPIKE, one is from Louisville, a couple from Virginia, and the rest are all from our surrounding area.”

Stone added, “It’s not me; it’s the girls and their work ethic, how hard they try, how much they care, and the fact that they love what they do. They’re good students in the classroom. We always make sure that we put our schooling first because their parents are not paying for them to come to UPIKE to cheer.”

UPIKE cheerleaders juggle school and cheer.

“Because of that, they have become successful in life,” said Stone. “We have kids now who are lawyers and doctors and excelling in their fields of work. That’s the reward for the cheer coach—to see that these kids have gone on to really become quality adults. I will expect the same from her, and we certainly appreciate having her.”

Stone encourages anyone interested in cheering at UPIKE to contact her.

“We would love to talk to you about UPIKE,” she said.

Find Stone’s contact information at upikebears.com/sports/cheerleading.