Gondoliers' Caldwell Out but Looking to Get Back in the Action

After scoring seven touchdowns in Venice High's first game of the 2010 season, it didn't seem that anything could stop Teondray Caldwell.

But the senior running back, who exploded out of the gate with a school-record tying performance in a 47-16 victory over North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, sprained and fractured his right ankle in a loss the following week at West Covina.

His return—expected in early October—can't come soon enough for a Venice team that has dropped its two games since Caldwell went down, a streak that it will look to end Friday in a non-league game at La Cañada St. Francis.

"We can't afford to lose too many games, even with me out of the lineup," Caldwell said. "I know my guys can do it."

Before going down with the ankle injury—suffered when one of his teammates was pushed into his leg on a run—Caldwell was proving that he could do it. The senior carried the ball 20 times for 291 yards against Harvard-Westlake. That means that more than a third of the time he touched the ball, he reached the end zone. He scored twice from 80 yards and once from 59.

Not too shabby for a guy who was playing his first game as a full-time running back. Last season, Caldwell played wide receiver and defensive back, and returned kicks on special teams in addition to occasional ball-carrying duties.

"I was doing all sorts of things last year, playing all over the field," Caldwell said. "Coming into this year I was really excited about the opportunity to be the go-to guy."

His junior season should have provided a clue that Caldwell had a gift for finding the end zone. He scored touchdowns running the ball, catching the ball, as well as on a kickoff return, a punt return, and an interception return, and was named to the All-L.A. City Section team as a wide receiver.

Coach Angelo Gasca compared him to Percy Harvin, the Minnesota Vikings' versatile wide receiver. These days, the running back prefers to pattern himself after LaDainian Tomlinson, the New York Jets running back and 2006 NFL most valuable player. 

Others are taking notes and making comparisons to the 5'11", 205-pound Venice senior. 

"Caldwell is a compact and powerful back, but he's got very good explosiveness for how compact he is," said Brandon Huffman, the West Coast recruiting manager for Scout.com. "Catches the ball well out of the backfield, but is at his best with the ball in his hands running between the tackles."

Although sitting on offers from a few Division I schools, including the University of Nevada, Caldwell has his sights set on drawing the attention of his dream school, the University of Oregon.

An out-of-state university may be in his future, but for now Caldwell is entrenched in Venice, where he helps coach the youth football team he used to play for and has become one of the cornerstones of the storied Venice High program.

"These past few years have been an amazing experience," he said. "Just getting a chance to play for this program and with my guys has been an awesome opportunity."

Caldwell is well on his way to following in the footsteps of past Venice running backs. After the Harvard-Westlake game, Gasca evoked comparisons to former Gondolier stars such as Curtis McNeal, Kenny Ashley and Alvin Cooley.

Caldwell's seven touchdowns tied the school's single-game record set by McNeal in 2006, although the ankle injury will hinder Caldwell's pursuit of McNeal's single-season record of 42 scores.

After losing two in a row and facing an undefeated St. Francis team Friday night, the Gondoliers likely have Oct. 8 circled on their calendar, when Caldwell hopes to return for a game at La Puente Bishop Amat.

"It's really tough being on the sidelines and not being able to lead on the field," Caldwell said. "Friday nights are what we all live for."