SATURDAY-SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27-28, 2021 PAGE 25
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2021-2022 Johnson County Longhorn Schedule November 30 at West Ridge December 3 Unaka 7 Happy Valley 9 at Holston, VA 10 Cloudland 14 at Elizabethton 17 at Hampton 21 at Providence Academy January 4 Elizabethton 7 at K.A.C.H.E.A 11 at Chuckey Doak* 14 South Greene* 17 at Cloudland 18 at West Greene* 21 at Happy Valley* 24 Hampton 25 at Unaka 28 Chuckey Doak* February 1 at South Greene* 3 West Ridge 4 West Greene* 15-22 District Tournament
2021-2022 Johnson County Longhorns
*Denotes conference games
Longhorns set lofty goals for new basketball season FROM STAFF REPORTS
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move to a different conference set-up may be exactly what Coach Austin Atwood’s Johnson County Longhorn team needed as the Longhorns don’t have to worry about the likes of Elizabethton, Sullivan East, Volunteer, Tennessee High, and Unicoi Co. Instead, the ‘Horns see a path that might allow them to go deeper in post season play as they will now have to contend with South Greene, West Greene, Chuckey Doak, and Happy Valley even though it has extended their travel distances. Atwood, for one, is ready to get rolling and see exactly what this group of ‘Horns can do. “These guys have speed,” Atwood said. “They work well together and depend on each other to be able to help each other out. It’s going to be a good year.” Atwood will be counting on one particular player to set
the tone for the rest of the team. Preston Greer is one of two seniors on the team who has great ball handling skills, and a knack for pushing the basketball down the court quickly to get into the Longhorns offense. Zack Parsons is the other senior.
“We plan on doing some great things out there with a better season.” Greer said. “If we keep working hard, we can win.” Atwood is counting on Greer to make thing happen. “He can do the job if he wants to,” Atwood said. “We need him to perform at his top level. If he does, the numbers will be there for us.” Parsons also has set lofty expectations for the new season not only for his team but his self as well. The Longhorn player is smart and a fighter inside the paint who believes that new accomplishments are on the horizon for his team. “I have set the bar pretty high for myself and the team,” he said. “Hopefully, we can get in there and get some wins.” If plans come together in Mountain City the way Atwood and his seniors foresee, this could be a year to remember for Longhorn basketball.
