TIFTON — Head coach Ashley Anders has some good news for Tift County football fans: there will be a spring scrimmage against another school.

Tift will be hosting Columbia May 12 at Brodie Field. Admission will be $5.

The Georgia High School Association voted to allow schools to scrimmage other teams last year, but finding an opponent was difficult. The league nixed a game that would have the Blue Devils playing against Coffee and Brooks County and even Anders feared he would have to settle for an inter-squad game.

Columbia came calling recently, though, and the Devils will be taking on the DeKalb County-based Eagles.

Columbia finished 2-8 a year ago, but made state in each of the two years prior.

The Eagles’ wins came over Druid Hills and Clarkston. They scored an average of 15 points and gave up 28.5 points per game in 2016. More than half of the scoring came from the two wins, one-third from the 54-6 victory over Clarkston.

Columbia has no state championships in a history that stretches back to 1966, but did finish as Class AAA state runners-up to Waycross in 1981.

On May 5, Tift will host an open practice, concluding with a scrimmage. This will also be held at Brodie Field. Admission will be a case of water.

Spring practice starts today for the varsity, Anders said. It will run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The freshmen will start May 1. Practice for them will be Monday-Friday. The freshmen will also be involved in the scrimmages.

Anders said he had 125 players out for the teams currently, which is causing an issue, albeit one the head coach is happy to have. He is having to find uniforms for all of them.