LAURINBURG —It’s been a long 174 days since Scotland County watched the Fighting Scots compete at Pate Stadium. The Scots are coming off an 8-4 season and a trip to the third round of the playoffs, where they fell just one point short against the No. 1-seeded Jacksonville Cardinals.
This spring, players are back in the Laurinburg heat, competing in spring practice, preparing for a new season. After five days of practice, here are three things to keep your eye on:
Chris George: Travis Hunter
Now, before you get up in arms, I’m not saying George is Travis Hunter, but throughout camp, he has been playing both sides of the ball, lining up at wide receiver and safety. As a three-star recruit with multiple Division I offers and measuring 6 feet 1, 175 pounds, it’s hard to miss him on the field. Coming off a torn ACL, his burst and explosion appear to be back.
That said, pairing George on the offensive side will be a plus, alongside stellar running back Michael McLean, who is coming off a remarkable freshman season capped with Freshman of the Year honors and Swiss Army knife Samier Pate. The Scots have their offensive trio.
Defensively, after the loss of both starting safeties — Shylan Harrell and Marlin Moore — George will slide into either safety position, with returning secondary players Keson McNair, Ja’Kari Monley and Jordan McLean. Last year, without George, on average, they totaled five interceptions and held opponents to 145 passing yards per game.
A New Quarterback in Town
Is there a new quarterback in town by the name of Collin Hill?
Hill, who was last year’s backup quarterback to then-starting quarterback Bryson Powell, has been taking first-team reps in practice throughout camp. In the five games he played last year, he completed 9 of 20 attempts for two touchdowns and one interception for 113 yards.
Powell, in 12 starts, completed 84 of 143 passes for 916 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions. During his time under center, he did enough to manage games but did not threaten opposing defenses last year with his arm.
Hill brings a new swagger, a gunslinger mentality, something that many players are not used to coming into this year. But with Chris George, Michael McLean and Samier Pate, throwing the football will be essential to opening up the ground game.
Can the Scots Overcome Key Departures
It was a bittersweet off-season for head coach Richard Bailey, with significant losses that were staples of last year’s team.
Offensively, the Scots lost what head coach Bailey said was “his kind of running back,” in Tyjurian White, a 1,000-yard rusher, who punished defenses with his physical run style. They also lose offensive coordinator Matt Quinn, who helped the Scots average 35.8 points per game.
On the other side of the ball, it doesn’t get any easier. Conference Defensive Player of the Year Kymani Atiles led the team with 175 tackles, Marlin Moore, a leader in the secondary and Shylan Harrell, who led the team with three interceptions.
That group is only a small piece of what Scotland will be replacing this season. However, the major question that will be asked throughout the entirety of the off-season is whether they can overcome the turnover.
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