The Rebel Yell lost for the second time this year to their arch-rivals, the Strawmakers. The Strawmakers got some late minute help from Emmitt Smith and O.J. McDuffie as they both scored touchdowns within the last three minutes of their games. The Rebel Yell team scored well, but not good enough to win this one. "Teams just seem to step it up a notch when they play us", commented Coach Saylor. "The games we lost, the opponents averaged over 68 points. You can't ask our team to much better than that. We had a good core of guys this year. Let's not dawdle on this lost, because we still have one more game to win."

When asked about the rivalry between the Strawmakers and his team, Coach Saylor had this to say: "The Strawmakers worried us all year. They have a great Coach in Bernie Martinelli and he should be respected by all the coaches in the league. He has built a good team in the last couple of weeks of the season with excellent trades. His team just wanted it more than ours. If it wasn't our team, I am very ecstatic that the Strawmakers won the Golden Dome for the Kokomos Division."

1998 Season Outlook:
The 1998 Draft has had some bright spots and some disappointments. The first round pick was used for the second straight year to snag the Denver Broncos' Terrell Davis. Davis was the main factor for the good year the Yell had in 1997. Management hopes that this year's draft will add some depth around Terrell so that they can win the Kokomos Division and ultimately the Superbowl in 1998.

Some not so bright spots in this year's draft come from the kicker position. Both kickers drafted didn't seem to interested in winning the starting position for their NFL teams. Cary Blanchard and Brett Conway were both cut the following morning after the draft.

Other then the kicker situation, the management for the Rebel Yell are happy with the outcome of their draft. Let the season begin.

1998 Week 1: Rebel Yell 47 - Strawmakers 72
The Rebel Yell lose their season opener for the second straight year to their arch-rivals, the Strawmakers. The Strawmakers have been a pain in the ass for the Rebel Yell ever since Opening Day 1996 when the Yell won 22-21. Since then, the Strawmakers have dominated the Yell. The head-to-head record is now 1-4-1. Coach Saylor proclaims that this loss is his fault only. "I should have started James Stewart instead of Adrian Murrell. James has looked good in the preseason but we weren't absolutely sure of his status. I promise that the Yell will win the next meeting against the Strawmakers. In fact, I guarantee it." The Yell will have to wait until the final week of the regular season to revenge that opening day loss.

1998 Week 2: Rebel Yell 84 - Crushin CRANEiacs 54
The Yell are 1-1 after scoring 84 points against the Crushin' CRANEiacs. Terrell Davis once again anchors the team with 191 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns for 27 fantasy points. The emergence of Greg Hill has added depth to the RB position. With the likes of Davis, Stewart, and Murrell, the Yell should be solid the whole season. Frank Wychek shows promise at TE scoring a touchdown and catching 7 passes for 55 yards. The quarterback position has Coach Saylor very worried. Jeff George has now put two lack luster performances together. The good news is that Neil O'Donnell had a break out week for Cincinnati. Stay tuned to see if Neil gets the nod this week.

1998 Week 3: Rebel Yell 30 - Cereal Kilurz 52
Tornadoes, Hurricanes, or Floods would have been better than the disasters that struck the Rebel Yell franchise team this week. The Yell had the greatest depth at running back going into week 3 and came out with 1 starter in Terrell Davis. Greg Hill, after running for a personal career best of 158 yds and 2 touchdowns, broke his leg and could be out for at least 6-8 weeks. James Stewart was sidelined the play after he fumbles with a severely sprained knee and goes into arthroscopy surgery on Tuesday. Diagnosis of the surgery reveals a slight tear of the ACL which might keep Stewart out the entire season. And to make things worse, Adrian Murrell was traded earlier in the week to the Kodiak Bears for Terrell Owens. This is all after the Rebel Yell running backs (Davis, Stewart, and Hill) all finished Week 3 in the top 5 of the MVP race. Coach and Owner Mark Saylor is really worried about the status of his team. The Yell are now 1-2 after losing to the Cereal Kilurz. Luckily the Kokomos Division is not the same division it was last year. The 1-2 record posted by the Yell is no better or worst than the rest of the division. Mark Saylor quotes, "We are in desperate times, but the guys are still in good spirits. They still think they can win their division even without the return of Stewart and Hill this year and can go far. We just need to come up with some big acquisitions to help us through these hard times. Don't count us out yet."

1998 Week 4: Rebel Yell 52 - Junkyard Dogs 56
The Junkyard Dogs score often and late to overcome the Rebel Yell team. Terrell Davis and Fred Taylor both scored 11 points, but that was not enough as the Yell fell to the Dogs by 4 points. Coach Saylor states, "We just need an all around effort from everybody this week. I am starting to think that my job is in jeopardy the way I keep benching the players that are producing." The team also could have used the scoring of Carl Pickens who was traded earlier in the week.

1998 Week 5: Rebel Yell 63 - Second Half Slide 61
In a battle that could determine the season momentum for two 1-3 teams, the edge went to the Yell in a 63-61 contest. Terrell Davis once again lead the team with a 20 point effort before sitting the second half of his game. "He (Terrell) really came through for us with the little time he played", offered coach Saylor. "We needed every bit of scoring because of the stars on the bench for their bye weeks." Cameron Cleeland also offered a pleasant surprise with 11 points filling in for Frank Wychek on his bye. "Cameron might get the starting nod if he keeps this momentum", stated Saylor. "No money player gets a free ride. If you don't produce, you sit. That's final!"

1998 Week 6: Rebel Yell 65 - Kodiak Bears 29
Rookie Coach Matt Saylor was taught a valuable lesson this week by older brother and Rebel Yell Coach, Mark. "This was a very important game, not only for my team, but also for myself. I am glad to see that our players are rebounding from the slow start caused by some key injuries." Unfortunately the Rebels couldn't make it through week 6 without some more injuries. Jimmy Smith and Fred Taylor both left Monday Night's game against the Dolphins with injuries. Smith is expected back in Week 7, but Taylor might not be back until week 8 or so. The Rebels were once again led by the consistent Terrell Davis (16 points) and the new starting QB, Neil O'Donnell. Neil had a beautiful game throwing for 298 yards and 3 TD's without throwing a pick. He ended with 20 points to lead all Rebel starters. Let's just hope that the momentum keeps going as the Rebels go back into division play next week without Davis and McCaffrey to play the TECtonic Movement. The Yell definitely need a divisional win as they have started out 0-2 in the Kokomos Division.

1998 Week 7: Rebel Yell 54 - TECtonic Movement 47
The Rebel Team won an important battle against divisional rival TECtonic Movement 54-47. The team won this week without the help of Terrell Davis or Ed McCaffrey. In their place, Vinnie Testeverde and Gary Brown stepped up and performed well. Although the Rebel Yell won again, they still have a problem at running back. For the second straight week, the starting running back left the game early with an injury. Tavian Banks did not play in the second half of the game after hurting his foot. When we asked the Rebel Yell Coach, Mark Saylor, what he thought about Week 7, this is his response..."I thought the guys played hard and really came through for us. It was good to finish the first half of the season with a winning record. With Terrell and Ed back next week, we want to keep improving our record and try to pull away from our divisional rivals."

1998 Week 8: Rebel Yell 80 - Rambling Gophs 55
The Rebel Yell opened a can of whoop-ass on the Head Coach's roommate this week. The Rambling Gophs received a complimentary lecture on how to score points by Terrell Davis (27) and Terrell Owens (19). Unfortunately, Coach Saylor did not start Owens. That decision didn't cause harm because Ed McCaffrey and Jimmy Smith both had fantastic games themselves. The Yell also got another quality start out of Vinnie Testeverde. The slaughter of the Gophs could have been worse. Unfortunately, penalties brought back touchdowns by Davis and McCaffrey. "It was good to beat up Jeff and his Gophs, but I just hope he still can make the playoffs.", commented Coach Saylor when asked how he felt about playing his roommate. "I keep telling our guys, 'Let's just keep working hard and scoring points because the toughest part of our schedule is next.' " The Rebel Yell play the Shipyard Sharks and the Critters in My Beer franchises in the next two weeks. Two wins over these teams could really help the Yell solidify a playoff spot.

1998 Week 9: Rebel Yell 90 - Shipyard Sharks 57
The Shipyard Sharks unfortunately received a whooping by the Rebel Yell team. Once again, the team was anchored by Terrell Davis (19) and Fred Taylor (19). Ed McCaffrey, Jimmy Smith, and Cameron Cleeland all scored and added much need reserves to the battle. Vinnie Testeverde had a good performance but was out shone by Neil O'Donnell (22) off the bench. Frank Wychek also had a very good performance on the bench. The Carolina defense, angry that it was benched for newcomer Atlanta, scored 18 points from the bench. Coach Saylor commented, "I am glad that the injuries are behind us. We are playing like a well oiled machine and I don't see us running out of gas soon. Let's just hope that we stay healthy for the rest of the year." The Yell put their 6 game winning streak on the line next week when they play their division nemesis, Junkyard Dogs.

1998 Week 10: Rebel Yell 91 - Junkyard Dogs 61
The Rebel Yell revenged there early season divisional loss to the Junkyard Dogs by overpowering them 91 - 61. The Rebels scored all their points without the help from the TE or Kicker positions. Mike Vanderjagt and Cameron Cleeland both were shutout, but luckily that was a good week for that to happen. Atlanta's defense showed why the upper management traded Gary Brown scoring 26 points. Vinnie Testeverde (18), Terrell Davis (15), Fred Taylor (12), and Ed McCaffrey (12) were the other starters with double digit efforts. Terrell Owens scored 17 points on the bench showing why he should be considered a starter for next week. "I am really happy with the way our team is performing lately", chirped in Coach Saylor. "We will need the same kind of effort if they expect to beat the Critters in My Beer franchise next week." Stay tuned next week to see if the Rebels can continue their winning streak.

1998 Week 11: Rebel Yell 77 - Critters in My Beer 47
The Rebel Yell players celebrated their 8 game winning streak after beating the top EFFL team, the Critters in My Beer Franchise. It was an important win for the Yell because the Strawmakers also won. It was an expensive win though because Ed McCaffrey left the game early with a strained hamstring. "We hope to see Ed back in practice this week", states Mark Saylor. "He is one of our team leaders and with him in the lineup, we think we can always win." The Rebel Yell extend their record to 9-3 and are now 2 games above the next wild card contender. With a win in Week 12 against the Cheezy Cheetahs, another wild card contender, the Yell could almost clinch a playoff spot.

1998 Week 12: Rebel Yell 74 - Cheezy Cheetahs 88
The Cheezy Cheetahs opened a can of whoop ass on the overconfident Rebel Yell team. Everybody expected a win from the Rebel Yell team, but the Cheetahs scored 35 points over their average to end the 7 game winning streak for the Yell. The Cheetahs received unexpected scoring punches from Tyrone Davis (3 catches for 19 yards and 2TD's) and Antwoin Smith (2 TD's and 107 rushing). Coach Saylor commented, "One lose doesn't knock us out of the playoff race. We just need to put that aside and concentrate on the next game. We don't want to take any team for granted, especially a 2-10 team. Those teams can jump up and bite you when you least expect it." The Rebel Yell was led by once again by the Terrell combo.

1998 Week 13: Rebel Yell 60 - TECtonic Movement 70
Another early exit by Fred Taylor left the Rebel Yell with their second consecutive lose. Fred Taylor left the game after 5 carries with a shoulder contusion and zero points. Terrell Davis had his season low of 3 fantasy points from 74 yards rushing. The 3 points from the running backs could not be overlooked as the Rebel Yell lose to the TECtonic Movement by 10 points. "Our teamed played extremely well without a running game," stated Coach Saylor. "The Wide Receivers really stepped it up a notch and Vinnie held his own. If the running backs would have had normal performances, we would be in the playoffs already. Now we just need to go out and win against our Arch rivals next week." McCaffrey (15), Owens (13), and Smith (11) all showed why the team is well balanced. Let's just hope that the whole team shows up in Week 14 and wins the last game.

1998 Week 14: Rebel Yell 116 - Strawmakers 57
The Rebel Yell team combined for a total of 116 points, crushing the old EFFL Weekly points record of 106. The whole team came with all cylinders running as they beat their arch-rivals, the Strawmakers. "Nobody had to say anything to get these guys ready to play", shouted the now drenched Coach. "We were hurt emotionally after the first loss of the season to those Strawmakers. Nobody need to be reminded. We were out for blood." With the win, the Rebels clinched their second playoff birth in 2 years. Unfortunately the Rebels will have to play the Strawmakers in the opening round of the playoffs. And you know that they will be out for revenge.

1998 Playoffs (Week 15): Rebel Yell 65 - Strawmakers 81
The Rebel Yell lost for the second time this year to their arch-rivals, the Strawmakers. The Strawmakers got some late minute help from Emmitt Smith and O.J. McDuffie as they both scored touchdowns within the last three minutes of their games. The Rebel Yell team scored well, but not good enough to win this one. "Teams just seem to step it up a notch when they play us", commented Coach Saylor. "The games we lost, the opponents averaged over 68 points. You can't ask our team to much better than that. We had a good core of guys this year. Let's not dawdle on this lost, because we still have one more game to win." When asked about the rivalry between the Strawmakers and his team, Coach Saylor had this to say: "The Strawmakers worried us all year. They have a great Coach in Bernie Martinelli and he should be respected by all the coaches in the league. He has built a good team in the last couple of weeks with some good trades. His team just wanted it more than ours. I wish him luck and the Rebel Yell back him 100% in the finals. Bring back the Golden Dome for the Kokomos Division."