Mountain Top Media
Louisville Kings – Louisville’s newest professional football team
Many people may not have heard, but Kentucky has a new professional team to get excited for.
The Louisville Kings are the newest addition to the United Football League (UFL) for the 2026 season. The Kings played their first game as a franchise this past Friday, March 27, in front of a sold-out crowd at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Unfortunately, they fell short in their season opener to the Birmingham Stallions, 15-13, after giving up a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Now, if you are not familiar with the UFL, it is a semi-professional football league that is played throughout the spring. This means sports fans around the state do not have to wait until the fall to get their football fix after the conclusion of basketball season. The UFL is very similar to the NFL but has mixed up some of the rules a bit. For example, the UFL does not allow extra-point kicks after a touchdown. Instead, they have a tiered system that varies from one to three points depending on the coach’s decision before the PAT. A one point try is attempted from the 2-yard line, a two point try is attempting from the 5-yard line, and a three point try is attempted from the 10-yard line. This allows the coaches to have to gameplan and strategize more throughout the game and can make games more exciting and fun to watch.
Another rule that can make the games more exciting for the average fan is the UFL’s overtime rule. A little more familiar to college football fans, each team has three chances to score from their opponent’s 5-yard line with the team who scores the most in those three chances winning the game. If there is a draw at the end of both teams three chances, each team will alternate possessions sudden death style until a winner is determined.
These rules are just two examples of how the UFL is trying to uniquely grasp the attention of your average sports fan, the games can be more exciting and fast paced over a regular NFL game and will definitely be a sport to keep an eye on for the years to come.
The Louisville Kings are coached by former University of Louisville quarterback, Chris Redman, and their starting running back is University of Kentucky legend, Benny Snell. The franchise done a great job with acquiring both a UK and UL former football player to pique the interest of the diehard sports fans around the state.
The Kings are 0-1 on the season but showed promise in their first game as a franchise. You can catch their game against the Orlando Storm this Saturday, April 4, at 8pm on ESPN.
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A LOOK BACK: Wheelwright basketball great Jeff Riley
A great player for Wheelwright, the first in its great basketball history to ever make the All-State 1st Team, was Jeff Riley.
Riley accomplished that feat in his senior season of 1977. Steadily through his high school career, Riley’s stats climbed before exploding in his senior season of 1976-77.
As a freshman Riley scored 11 ppg. As a sophomore that average went up to 17 ppg. As a junior it climbed to 21.4 and he was an All-State Honorable Mention selection as he led the Trojans to a 20-6 record before falling in the District Tournament 60-58 to eventual 15th Region champions Betsy Layne.
Riley was second in state scoring in his senior season with a 28.1 avg, scoring 898 points in 32 games. That average came not from just putting up a lot of shots as we witness a lot of times. Efficiency is the word describing Riley’s approach, especially as a senior when he hit 55% of his attempts from the floor.
Riley set a school record with 50 points in a game against Elkhorn City and twice hit for 48 against Menifee County and Whitesburg.
Scoring wasn’t all the talented Riley was noted for. As a senior he averaged 12 rebounds and six assists. He was also a great student. Based on a four-point system he had a GPA of 3.9.
Riley led his Trojan teammates to a 24-8 record in his senior season, teaming with All State Honorable Mention teammate Dewey Jamerson to take the Trojans to the Regional semifinals. After defeating Paintsville 71-58 in the opening round they took it to eventual regional champs Virgie before falling 56-54.
He was selected to the All-State 1st Team at Wheelwright in 1977, making him the first All State 1st Team player in school history. That was quite an accomplishment as you know if you have followed our posts over the years because that school produced several college players.
Riley was coached by Frankie Francis, who we have discovered helped lots of players in the area get scholarships to further their basketball careers. Francis said Riley had all the tools.
“He’s a great perimeter shooter who uses the glass well. He handles the ball exceptionally well and he’s a great passer.”
Prestonsburg’s former star who played at Ole Miss, Fred Setser, was coaching Prestonsburg High School at the time. Setser had played against some of the best the area had ever offered as well as being one himself. He stated his thoughts on Riley.
“He is one of the best basketball players ever developed in eastern Kentucky. He’s big, he’s quick, he’s smart and an excellent shooter… He can go one on one with any high school kid in the state.” Riley received several offers but chose to play at Georgia Tech. He played in ten games there in his first season before transferring to Morehead. He later became an assistant at UK.
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