TIFTON — A group of middle school football players gathered in a circle at E.B. Hamilton Complex Wednesday morning to listen to words of wisdom from coaches.

“This is about getting out here and competing,” said Caleb Rice, one of the coaches at Eighth Street Middle School.

Final scores did not matter Wednesday. What really mattered, he said, was that they “compete [and] get better at the things you do.”

Eighth Street’s advice came on the heels of action against Valdosta, part of a massive organized team activity that took over all three football fields at the complex.

Such activities for middle schools have not always been this big.

What started off as a four-team event at the Eighth Street Middle practice fields three years ago has blossomed. It grew to Brodie Field and now is so large as to require the use of several fields at E.B. Hamilton Complex.

Rice said the first event contained schools in the immediate area.

It has branched out considerably.

Eleven schools were in attendance Wednesday, coming from as far as Camden County (which supplied two teams). Camden coaches told Rice they left at 5:45 a.m. to reach Tifton.

Other schools came from Worth County, Coffee County, Irwin County, Crisp County, Colquitt County and both Valdosta city middle schools — Valdosta Middle and J.L. Newbern. Tift supplied seventh and eighth grade teams.

The goal of the activity for the kids, Rice said, was “to have fun.”

Players wore helmets, but contact was limited to two-hand touch football. With no backfield players or linemen involved, save for a center, quarterbacks aired it out almost every play.

Against Colquitt, it resulted in an interception on the first play from scrimmage, but the Blue Devils rebounded quickly. Quarterback Azaria Smith landed a missile on the sidelines for a touchdown. Valdosta scored early, but the Eighth Street defense made several goal line stands to limit them to the single score.

Smith, Jamorion Miller and Will Dean all quarterbacked the eighth grade bunch. Tyler Parker and Davis Byrnes were the Devils’ seventh grade quarterbacks.

Eighth Street’s squads played against schools from Camden, Valdosta and Colquitt County.

Rice said the organized team activity was a big help for coaches.

“Everybody is getting four games and a lunch,” he said.

Hot dogs were being grilled behind the fields.

The event was fully organized for fans, with a concession stand available. Rice said proceeds helped Eighth Street football.