High School Sports

Photos: Ethan Falaniko

One by one members of the Bartlett High football team filed out of an after-school study hall in coach Daniel Esparza's classroom and made their way to the school's turf field. Left behind was their star player, who was stretched across a brown folding table with a fresh bag of ice over his black ankle brace boot.

Golden Bears tailback Ethan Falaniko,a 17-year-old senior, is one of the nation's top high school football players. According to MaxPreps.com, which provides unofficial high school sports statistics, he ranks second in the nation in rushing yards with 2,001 in eight games this season.

He has rushed for 32 touchdowns and Tuesday he was named the Cook Inlet Conference's offensive player of the year.

Read more: Bartlett's Falaniko is a powerhouse on and off the football field

ADVERTISEMENT