YAKIMA – Neither of Royal’s two players in this week’s Earl Barden All-Star Classic – wide receiver/defensive back Shea Stevenson and lineman Rolando Cedillo – will draw many second-takes with their physical appearance.

Nor will they boast of what they accomplished, given their soft-spoke natures.

But once the all-state football game for Class 2A and smaller kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday, the two likely will figure in the East’s success, as much for their attitude as aptitude.

“They have always been great examples,” said Knights Hall of Fame coach Wiley Allred, who has guided them to 48 straight wins and six consecutive 1A state championships.

At the team’s year-end banquet, Allred recognizes the most consistent players. He handed out three awards after this season, which was capped in a 21-20 nail-biting victory against SCAC rival Cashmere in Husky Stadium .

Stevenson and Cedillo were two of the recipients.

“They’ve done that from the get-go, they’re awesome leaders,” he said.

Stevenson was just one of two all-conference first-teamers that returned for Royal when the 2025 rolled around.

He quickly became the favorite target of junior lefty Grant Wardenaar, who took over for 1A Player of the Year Lance Allred, the coach’s great-nephew.

Stevenson finished the season with 47 receptions for 877 yards and 17 touchdowns, all team bests, and a propensity for the spectacular. He would be named the SCAC Offensive Player of the Year and 1A Player of the Year.

“He’s just fun to watch, he will do anything to get to the ball,” Allred said. “He shows passion, skying for an interception or for the catch.”

Stevenson, who added a third-place finish at Mat Classic wrestling at 175 pounds, also put the team first, making a key block when needed to spring a teammate for a big gain or score.

“It makes us unstoppable,” he said Tuesday during the East’s first practice for Saturday. “The defense has to choose who they’re going to guard and who they want to key on.”

Cedillo was one of two returning returners across the offensive front, along with all-state pick Abel Garcia, who won the WIAA’s $5,000 Smart Choices Scholarship winner. The stout duo is bound for Washington State University for academics.

The lines jelled, with four players earning all-SCAC honors on offense, and three more on defense.

“It was pretty awesome,” Cedillo said. “We started a little slow at camp with new guys, and new faces. Of course, we’re all one big team, and when we’re out there playing together you have to have a bond.”

Cedillo and crew might have spent their four years in relative anonymity at David Nielsen Memorial Field, but teammates very much knew their importance.

“For me to get here it’s representative of how well he did,” Stevenson said during a break for the skill positions, while Cedillo and lineman ran drills about 30 yards away. “If he doesn’t do his job, I don’t get to be here and I’m grateful for him to get the spotlight.”

Both players said they’re thankful for Royal’s tradition, which led to the newest championship signage hanging from the rails of the stadium bleachers. The Knights begin the season Sept. 4 at Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls.

“It’s been a blast my whole career and this is a great way to cap it off here,” Sevenson said. “It’s pretty amazing to be part of that culture.”

And with the Knights sure to be the favorite to win Allred’s 14 championship, they know the legacy will continue.

“I know I left it in good hands,” Cedillo said. “I know that I left part of me with them, and I know it doesn’t end with me, or the people before me – it keeps going.”