Pisgah senior overcomes adversity to earn cheerleading scholarship

May 15—Not every athlete who continues their career at the collegiate level has the same path to get there. No path is easy, but some are particularly tough.

That is the case for Pisgah senior Jada Coker, who signed last week to cheer at Gardner-Webb.

"It's been very stressful trying to stay on the right path, but I have God and friends and family who help me stay on track," Coker said.

And that was very clear on Thursday when Coker signed. In front of a crowd of friends, classmates, school staff and teammates, Coker took the next step forward in her life.

"She's like our kid. She's Pisgah family, not just one of our athletes. As a coach, you want to prepare them for life, not just to be an athlete. You want to prepare them for what the rest of their life is. Seeing Jada do that at a young age is heartwarming," said Pisgah cheer coach Morgan Smith. "You might not have the biggest support system elsewhere, but you have it at Pisgah."

Recently, Coker has been staying with Charissa Ponder, an assistant with the exceptional children program at Pisgah.

"It's been really nice. I have boys, so it's been really nice having a girl around," Ponder said. "I really enjoy being able to do that for her. She's such a great kid."

June Hannah-Mathis has been one of the people by Coker's side throughout the entire journey.

"It's been a rollercoaster," Hannah-Mathis said. "It's been one of the biggest blessings of my life. She's gone from being what the average person would think she's had it all together as a cheerleader her freshman year. She's faced many obstacles, and I've been privileged to be with her through all the obstacles. We've come out on the other side. She's had great support from her coaches, her teachers, the administration."

But it hasn't just been a person or two standing by Coker on this journey.

"We're Pisgah nation," Hannah-Mathis said. "What do you expect? When we celebrate, we celebrate. When we mourn, we mourn. Today, we're celebrating as a community." "It's a community effort. It takes a village to raise a kid and it takes Pisgah High School to get them to this point."

The path to earning a college scholarship required a lot of hard work and dedication.

"The best way to describe it is that she beat the cycle," Smith said. "I got to be there and watch as she did it. She grew from the person she was just last year. The things that she endured and what she chose to become after that. She never faltered. She just put her head down. She saw what she wanted to be and wasn't going to stop until she got there."

Coker has been a member of two state championship-winning teams during her time at Pisgah.

Smith described her as everyone else's cheerleader.

"She's been important. Not only is she talented, but her demeanor and her personality bring so much light to the team. She is everyone's cheerleader. She is the one who is always stepping in to see if she can help. She cheers on the teams, but she's her teammates' cheerleader, her friends' cheerleader," Smith said. "She'll be hard to replace. She holds a big spot at Pisgah. She will be missed."

Despite winning two state titles, it still took a lot of trips to camps at Gardner-Webb to earn the scholarship.

"I'm super proud," Ponder said. "I've been taking her down to Gardner-Webb for all the camps and when she made it, we were all super excited."

Now, Coker looks ahead to her college future as a cheerleader.

"Cheering in college is hard," Smith said. "She knows. She's willing to put the work in. She already has goals set for her whole college career. I know she'll reach them. After watching her do that this year, that she'll reach them beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Coker said that Gardner-Webb being a private Christian school was a big reason for her pursuing the scholarship from the Runnin' Bulldogs. Plus, she doesn't have to give up her favorite colors.

"I love red and black," Coker said. "I couldn't get rid of that."

During her time at Pisgah, Coker has been involved with the students in the exceptional children program. Now, she wants to pursue that passion by majoring in special education.

"They remind me a lot of my brother," Coker said. "I think of him every day."

One thing is for sure, Coker will always have a strong support system in the Canton community.

"I give all the glory to the Lord because he has been with her through thick and thin. I'm just thankful," Hannah-Mathis said. "I love her. I'm very thankful that she's in my life."