CHARLOTTE — Dave Canales can still remember the first time he played football, when he fell in love with the sport.

He was 11 years old, growing up in Southern California, and joined a local flag football team. That shaped the rest of his life.

"This is how I started, flag football," said Canales, walking out to meet guests on the field at Bank of America Stadium earlier this week. "I played soccer until I was 11. When I was 11 I played flag football for the first time. I'm from Los Angeles, California, and I fell in love with football."

Canales was able to share that story this week with a local Charlotte flag football team. He brought more than just a story and some motivation to the young team also named the Panthers. In celebration of Latino Heritage Month, the Carolina Panthers and

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