NEWS » . Sometimes that can re-energize guys mentally as much as

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Carolina Panthers made history on Thursday by holding a joint practice with a high school football team.The Spartanburg High School Vikings went through warmups and had a chance to interact with Carolinas coaches and players at Wofford College before breaking off and doing their own work on an adjacent field.Panthers director of community relations Riley Fields said it is the first time an NFL team has practiced alongside a high school team.Fields said the organization wanted to celebrate the NFLs Play 60 initiative by doing something special and unique. He said the Panthers needed to clear everything with the NFL, the NCAA and state high school officials before the project initiative was granted.Everyone said, `Wow this is a great idea, Fields said. ... We felt it was a special day for our players and for the Spartanburg High School football players.Panthers coach Ron Rivera said when Fields initially approached him about the idea he was against it. But the NFL Coach of the Year soon changed his mind once he realized it could be a huge benefit to the high school athletes.To me its about the love of the game and bringing it back to the community, Rivera said.Spartanburg High School coach Chris Miller said he thought it was a joke at first when his office received a call about practicing with the Panthers.It is just an unbelievable opportunity for us, Miller said.Miller said watching an NFL team run through similar drills to what they run in practice was an important lesson for his players.Were constantly talking about it and they are doing it over and over again. Now they see guys who have paid the price and look where it has gotten them, Miller said.Rivera said the experience was also fun for his players.When you talked to some of our guys they had a chance to reminisce about the good old days, Rivera said. I was standing over there watching (the Vikings) earlier and it took me back to playing at Seaside High School. It was kind of neat.Linebacker Thomas Davis, the elder statesman of the Panthers, said it was an opportunity he would have loved to have had as a teenager growing up playing football in Shellman, Georgia.It will go a long way in these kids lives knowing they had an opportunity to practice with Panthers, Davis said. I impressed upon the kids the importance of coming out here and working hard and being able to do your job and listen to your coach.Davis, who regularly exchanges trash talk with Cam Newton during practice, also had a little fun with the high school players.He even convinced one of them to talk some trash to Newton.I was kind of feeding him stuff to say to Cam, Davis said with a laugh. He delivered it pretty well.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Black Friday Nike Shoes . 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The leagues best defensive team will likely need more than those when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in a post-Thanksgiving afternoon game on Friday.Yet, some things finally went Minnesotas way against Pittsburgh when the Wild came away with a 4-2 road win two weeks ago against the Penguins. Minnesotas win on Nov. 10 was the teams first win against Pittsburgh since April 5, 2014.While the Wild are mired in a tough stretch, particularly when it comes to scoring, they can show theyve changed under new coach Bruce Boudreau with another win against the Penguins.This was a great challenge, going up against the Stanley Cup champions. ... Once we settled down, a lot of good things happened, Boudreau told NHL.com of Minnesotas 4-2 win on Nov. 10. I thought we competed hard.The Wild beat Central Division foe Winnipeg 3-1 on Wednesday, having a tying goal by the Jets negated by video review and then scoring themselves on the power play when a shot deflected off a Winnipeg player into the net. Its the second such sequence of video review and deflection that benefitted Minnesota in a week.We have been on the other side of that, said forward Zach Parise, who added an empty-net goal. At the time of the game, it was huge for us. The fans loved it. And then not too long after we got the second goal. There is the big difference in the game right there.Minnesotas defense continued to stifle the opposition. The Wild (10-7-2) have allowed just 17 goals in their past 13 games. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk will likely start in goal for Minnesota against Pittsburgh. In his past 11 games, Dubnyk has given up just 13 goals.He ranks second in the NHL in goals-against average (2.55) and third in save percentage (.948).Huge; hes had too many of those big saves lately, said forward Jason Zucker. That means were having defensive breakdowns, but we know that hes back there and hes going to give us those saves when we need him.Pittsburgh (12-5-3) is as dangerouss as ever, especially with star Sidney Crosby healthy and scoring.dddddddddddd Crosby leads the league with 14 goals. The Penguins are coming off a 6-1 road win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday.With the day between, Pittsburgh held a practice on Thursday in Minnesota. The Penguins are in a stretch of seven games in 11 days.Its not just the physical recovery, its about the mental recovery as well, coach Mike Sullivan told the teams website. That was one of the reasons we didnt have a morning skate (Wednesday). Keep them away from the rink, out of the building, give them a chance to maybe go for a walk and get outside. Sometimes that can re-energize guys mentally as much as it does physically.The timing proved beneficial for two Pittsburgh players. Minnesota natives Matt Cullen and Jake Guentzel were in their home state for the holiday. Cullen, the 19-year veteran and former Wild player, is from Virginia, Minn. He had one of the goals in the win against New York.We have a lot of family coming in and its pretty special playing here, Cullen told the teams website. Knowing that its likely the last time that I play here adds a little bit to it.Guentzel is a 22-year-old rookie who scored twice in his NHL debut this week. Guentzel was born in Omaha, Neb., but played high school hockey in the Twin Cities at Hill-Murray. His father is the associate head coach of the mens hockey team at the University of Minnesota.Im really excited. Its going to be fun, Guentzel told the teams website. Playing (at Xcel Energy Center) in high school, I cant imagine how different its going to be. It will be one to remember.The game has become somewhat of a tradition for the Wild. They have played the day after Thanksgiving every year of the franchises 14 seasons of existence. Minnesota is 8-5-0-1 all-time on Black Friday, with all but one of those games at home. However, the Wild have lost three straight Black Friday games. ' ' '