Huntingdon, Tenn.–The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) has placed both Huntingdon and Milan football squads on probation until the end of the 2024-25 school year, with each school fined $500 following a bench-clearing incident during the first half of the Huntingdon-Milan game.
TSSAA Executive Director Mark Reeves sent a letter to Huntingdon officials:
“This is in reference to the incident that took place on Friday, September 22, 2023, during the football contest between Milan and Huntingdon. The official’s report stated that a Huntingdon player was ejected from the contest after committing a flagrant personal foul in response to having his helmet removed due to a facemask committed by a Milan player.”
According to the report, “At 8:22 of the second quarter, Milan was penalized for a personal foul face mask. The helmet of #16 for Huntingdon was taken off because of the face mask.” Huntingdon’s No. 16 was ejected from the game.
Reeves continues, “Several players from both schools can be seen pushing and shoving each other before returning to their respective sidelines. Some players did not reach the area where the altercation occurred before returning to their respective sidelines. The game was resumed without further incident.”
The letter concludes, “We want to commend the coaches and players for the quick de-escalation of what could have been a much more serious situation. We generally look at bench clearing altercations to determine whether we feel that the incident rose to a level that warrants restrictive probation and a subsequent postseason ban. The quick de-escalation and return to the sidelines by players from both schools are what made our staff believe that probation was the more appropriate penalty.”