Ethan Falaniko, Bartlett High's touchdown machine, headed to Fairbanks this weekend with some impressive credentials:
* Most rushing touchdowns in the nation (23).
* Fourth-leading rusher in the nation (1,364 yards).
Falaniko, a senior running back for the Golden Bears, is among the most productive offensive players in high school football this season, according to MaxPreps.com, an online provider of high school sports statistics.
Heading into Friday's nonconference game against West Valley, Falaniko boasts per-game averages of 227.3 yards, 23.3 points and nearly four touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.
Imposing numbers, all of them. But a couple of critical caveats are necessary:
* Falaniko has played at least one more game than the majority of the national leaders in either category
* Not every team reports its statistics to MaxPreps. In Alaska, for instance, only nine of the state's 30 teams show up on the website's list of Alaska's top 75 rushers. Of those 75, only 24 have rushed for more than 100 yards through six weeks and several have amassed negative yardage, so clearly the list is missing a lot of players.
Because of the early start of the football season in Alaska – where by the end of October, many fields are frozen and covered with ice or snow – Falaniko gets a statistical head-start over most of the nation's other players.
Of the eight players nation-wide who have rushed for 18 or more touchdowns, two have played six games – including Falaniko. Four have played five games and two have played four.
Of the 16 players nation-wide who have rushed for 1,100 or more yards, Falaniko is one of four who have played six games. Nine have played five, two have played four and one -- Journey Brown of Meadville, Pennsylvania, who according to MaxPreps has rushed for 1,145 yards and 16 touchdowns – has played three games.
When ranked by yards per game, Falaniko is 62nd nationally by MaxPreps. Leading the nation is Brown with 381.7.
Statewide, according to MaxPreps, North Pole quarterback Dew Rogers leads the way in total offense with 1,430 yards – 854 rushing, 576 passing.
The website ranks Rogers second statewide in rushing behind Falaniko and fourth in passing behind Sean Duffy of West (1,131), Bubba Stults of Juneau (766) and Zach Lester of West Valley (580).
But remember, the vast majority of Alaska teams don't report their stats to MaxPreps. That group includes Soldotna, one of the state's highest-scoring teams, as well as four Anchorage teams -- Dimond, Chugiak, Service and Eagle River.
Even so, no one in Alaska is racking up bigger numbers than Falaniko.
"There isn't anybody in the state who has as many touchdowns as Ethan," Soldotna coach Galen Brantley said.