LAURINBURG — While many questions surround the new-look Fighting Scots entering the 2026 season, the opposite can be said about their revamped secondary. Heavy expectations have been placed on Chris George, Keson McNair, Jordan McLean and Ja’Kari Monley, a group built on camaraderie, confidence and aggressiveness, that has been labeled as the best secondary to come through Scotland High School in recent years.
“This is the best secondary since I’ve been here,” head coach Richard Bailey said. “We have returning faces, and then we add Chris George, who makes a difference. Coming off that ACL tear, he’s hungry to play football again.”
In the off-season, the Scots lost both starting safeties, Marlin Moore and Shylan Harrell, players who had a major impact. Moore was the enforcer, finishing his high school career with 111 tackles, three sacks and one interception. Harrell excelled at playing both the run and pass, leading the team with three interceptions last season, finishing his career with 133 tackles, one sack and six interceptions.
Though they will be hard to replace, Scotland brings in two talented players in three-star George from archrival Richmond and McNair, who emerged last season after taking over for an injured Moore, finishing the season with 76 tackles, one sack and one interception.
“During my tenure, this is the most complete secondary,” defensive backs coach Steven Harris said. “We have depth at every position, and everyone can play multiple positions; there isn’t any lack of confidence at either spot.”
Last year, Scotland allowed 134.7 yards through the air, most of that coming in Week 7 versus the Terry Sanford Bulldogs, when they allowed 260 passing yards and their best outing came in Week 9 versus the Lumberton Pirates, where they held them to four yards through the air. Now, in their second year under defensive coordinator Chris Metzger, the unit hopes to use last year’s playoff defeat as fuel for the upcoming season.
“We carry that chip on our shoulder that we were one game away from a state title,” McNair said. “In that game versus the Jacksonville Cardinals, we allowed too many explosive plays; with three returning starters, we look to limit big plays this year.”
“Confidence describes us this year,” Monley said. “Looking at our secondary, there are no weak spots at any position. We expect to shut offenses down.”
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