A former player at Viola has been hired to return and coach three sports at his alma mater. Austin Gardner is the new boys’ basketball, baseball and golf coach for the Longhorns. He replaces Rick Luna who has taken a job with the Richards School in the West Plains School District.
Gardner is a 2013 graduate of Viola. He says he is excited about the chance to get coach where he played.
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Gardner played multiple sports in high school for the Longhorns.
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During that break, he worked construction with his father and cousin in the Viola area.
Being from Viola, Gardner says he knows there is a lot of successful history he wants to keep going in the athletic programs.
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Gardner’s wife Jessica is a high school math teacher at Viola. They have two children.
Austin’s brother Clayton, a 2004 graduate of Viola, is a former head baseball coach at Viola. He won two state championships with the Longhorns. He is now an assistant baseball coach at Flippin.
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