CAIRO — Cairo football will be seeing tons of roster turnover come August, with many key starting positions left open from departing seniors.

The Syrupmakers got an early chance to look at how their new-look squad currently matches up with other teams, as they hosted a padded camp on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Early County, Fitzgerald, Seminole, Worth and Monroe, among others, all took part in the event, held at West Thomas Stadium.

“We’ve got to get a lot better,” Cairo coach Steve DeVoursney said. “Missing tackles, not lining up right, busted assignments and protections, things like that. But we did some good things too. We threw the ball well, we lined up on defense and made good plays.

“It’s good to go against someone else and see where you’re at in the middle of June.”

Cairo is returning a couple of notable players from last year, with a couple of offensive linemen coming back. Jamel Chin and Tahj Vicks are two returners on defense.

But just about everything else is wide open, including quarterback with John Michael Owens leaving. The competition for that spot is between three different players, with senior Jackson Hand leading so far. He did a good job directing the offense on Thursday.

“He’s got to pull the trigger a little faster on throws that come open but overall he did a great job and kept his poise the whole time,” DeVoursney said. “That’s what you need from your quarterback.”

Another new face that is looking to have an impact is Scooter Cooper, a senior wideout who played well in the spring game against Thomas County Central, and again at this week’s camp.

However, nothing is set in stone yet, and DeVoursney’s main focus right now is to make sure his guys are in shape and hitting the weight room.

“We’ve got a bunch of young kids battling and stepping up,” he said. “We just have to wait and see what happens.”