Sheldon Atchison was ejected from the high school football game between Milton and Battle Ground. He will suspended for his next game in Georgia even though the game was played in Tennessee.
Did the officials make the right call?
The rules for high school football are very clear. It seems like they were not enforced correctly.
Milton defeated Battle Ground by three scores.
Milton High School is located in Milton, Georgia. It enrolls ~2,000 students in Grades 9-12. The Battle Ground Academy is located in Franklin, Tennessee. It enrolls approximately 1,000 students in Grades Pre-K-12 with roughly 400 students in Grades 9-12.
The Eagles were moved to Class 6A of GHSA competition in 2026 as the No. 7-ranked team in the state. They recently won back-to-back state championships in Class 7A and Class 5A in 2023 and 2024. They went 8-4 in Class 5A last season.
The Wildcats currently rank as the No. 17 team in Tennessee on the Division II-AA level of TSSAA competition. They finished as state runners-up in 2024 at 11-3 and won the state championship at 13-1 in 2025.
These two southeastern powerhouses played a high-profile, non-conference, cross-state matchup on Friday. Milton traveled to Battle Ground. The visitors defeated the home team by a final score of 42-21. It was all-but over at halftime at 35-14.
Although this game was not played between two in-state opponents, both states are governed by the National Federation of State High School Associations. GHSA had to sign off on the game. It was played under the same set of rules. That will be important.
Sheldon Atchison was ejected from the high school football game.
At 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, Sheldon Atchinson Jr. is the star running back for Milton. He scored two touchdowns during the high school football game against Battle Ground — in only two quarters.
Check out my week 4 highlights vs BGA (First 2 quarters)@MiltonEagles_FB @CoachBenReaves @RecruitGeorgia @najehwilk @coachpspeed @alara_oran @coach_minton @Coach_AP3 @OCCoachJack @kuykendall_kyle @Frank_herzog55 @CoachHazelray @CoachSaeed1 @CoachQ___ @CoachRod_McD @jerms3_… pic.twitter.com/nJzJU18LPD
— Sheldon Atchison Jr🎱 (@AtchisonSheldon) September 14, 2026
Unfortunately, Atchison did not get to play the full game. Not because his coach took out the starters at halftime. Because he was ejected. The referees ruled that he simulated a gun-like gesture.
Atchison picked up a first down during the first half and made the following signal:
🚨 YOU MAKE THE CALL 🚨
— Fired Coaches of Georgia (@FiredCoaches) September 13, 2026
During Friday night’s Milton vs. Battle Ground game, this player was immediately ejected following this celebration.
According to sources, officials characterized the gesture as “shooting his opponents with guns” and called it “unsafe and inexcusable.”… pic.twitter.com/UNZaxpjn8H
According to Fired Coaches of Georgia, officials characterized the gesture as “shooting his opponents with guns.” They called it “unsafe and inexcusable.”
Not only was Atchison suspended from the rest of the game on Friday, he will now be suspended during Milton’s next game. NFHS rules require any player who is ejected to serve an automatic one-game suspension the next week. The cross-state matchup was played under NFHS rules. GHSA will enforce the suspension even though he was ejected in Tennessee.
First and foremost, Atchison questions why he was penalized for making the same gesture as his opponents later in the game. His mother made the following post on social media:
This is Sheldon Atchison mom, this is insane, my son would never do anything to risk his career or put his team in a situation that could cost them. Let’s talk about the fact that the other players did the exact same thing.
— Ashley Flood (@aflood228) September 13, 2026
And why were they not ejected? pic.twitter.com/SOr5R60iCm
Secondly, NFHS rules are very specific when it comes to gun-like gestures. They are qualified as “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Unsportsmanlike conduct carries a 15-yard penalty for the first offense. A second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty warrants an ejection.
Atchison did not get a warning. He was ejected from the contest after the first offense.
If the officials want to classify his first down signal as a gun-like gesture, fine. Some people might disagree. It is up for interpretation. What is not up for interpretation is the rules as they are written.
Sheldon Atchison shouldn’t’ve been removed from the game. He should be cleared to play on Friday.