One ... Two ... Three ...

Anthony Ratliff was oblivious to the count that his Santa Fe High football teammates began. He really wasn't paying attention at all during a film session reviewing a heart-wrenching 27-21 loss to Albuquerque Rio Grande in Week 2 of the season.

But as the count slowly went on, Ratliff just as slowly figured out what had his teammates chanting.

Four ... Five ... Six ...

There was Ratliff on the screen, wiggling out of one Raven tackle after another. The Demons' total number of broken tackles reached nine on Ratliff's 53-yard touchdown run before the room gave way to giggles and hand slaps for the 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior.

"I didn't really catch it," Ratliff said. "In the game, it comes at you so quick you don't realize it. The guys were counting, 'Four, five, six ... ' and I didn't know I did that."

Unfortunately, they might have been overly generous in their count of grasps Ratliff escaped if you ask their head coach, Mike Mares.

"It was five would-be tackles," Mares said. "But it was a pretty good performance there. He dipped in and out, got some contact, and shook that off."

Ratliff's touchdown was one of two he had as the Demons took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. The 27-point comeback by the Ravens was a blow that the Demons, who are 0-3 heading into their first road game at Gallup today, have struggled to put behind them, but it's not because of Ratliff.

He's sometimes a wideout, sometimes a slotback, and sometimes a fullback in the Demons offense. The results don't change, though. Ratliff has six touchdowns — three receiving, two rushing and one kickoff return — and 446 yards of total offense, with 351 coming on the ground.

It was no secret Ratliff was going to be a vital part of the Santa Fe High offense, but the first part of the season revealed his importance — his touchdown total triples the rest of the team.

Teams don't win with that kind of an output, and Ratliff knows that for the Demons to rescue their season, a few teammates will have to come to his aid.

"We are really trying to get people in the right positions to give them confidence," Ratliff said. "They need to know how good they are and how good they can be."

Mares has known how good Ratliff could be since he coached him as a 6-year-old playing in the Young American Football League. Ratliff played alongside current Demon teammates Gave Rotunno and Johnny Bowles, Capital quarterback Marcus Barela and St. Michael's running back Manuel Trujillo throughout their YAFL trek.

They were all a part of the 12-year-old Cowboys team Mares coached that reached the state championship in 2003.

Ratliff still knows how to capture Mares' attention, even after 11 years of watching him.

"In practice (on Wednesday), I noticed that he's got a pretty good juke move and some pretty good acceleration," Mares said. "That's natural ability you can't teach, although you wish you could. With some, it's just built in."

Ratliff showed that off on his second carry against Los Alamos last week. He took a handoff to the right side, juked right, ran for about 25 yards, then cut back left as he left one Hilltopper lunging in his tracks during a 64-yard touchdown run.

Ratliff says his peripheral vision is as crucial an element to his running style as his cutback ability.

"When I get the ball, I can see the whole field and I can visualize what I can do," Ratliff said. "I can see the flow of the play and cutback if it's going to be there. That timing is what it comes down to when I make that cutback."

Ratliff doesn't want to carry the Demons' hopes alone against the Bengals, and the emergence of senior receiver Isaiah Anaya can only help the offense. He had three catches for 34 yards and returned a punt 80 yards in the third quarter against Los Alamos.

"We just need guys to start making plays, that's what it comes down to," Ratliff said. "Isaiah had his confidence killed a little bit starting up (the season), but he's opening it up now. He's a good athlete. He's agile and can make moves in the open field."

If Anaya can continue his progress, it could mean fewer eyes on Ratliff.

And that makes the Demons better.

In another game this week:

CAPITAL AT KIRTLAND CENTRAL

Today, 7 p.m.

The Jaguars (1-2) have struggled offensively, having scored 50 points through three games. They face a Broncos team that is adjusting to a new head coach (Charles Cleghorn, formerly of Hatch Valley) and a new offense (the spread). The result is a similar 1-2 record, which includes a 30-27 loss to Class AAA's Bloomfield last week.

Capital's success might come from its ground game, because Bloomfield ran the ball 52 times for 141 yards to keep Kirtland Central off the field. The Jaguars ran for only 65 yards, however, in a 35-17 loss to St. Michael's on Saturday.

The Horsemen (1-2) are off this week.