As the clock ticked closer to zero in the final minutes, the MacArthur Brahmas were left with that uneasy feeling of knowing that this one might have gotten away.

Close, but no cigar.

The Roosevelt Rough Riders fended off several Brahmas rally attempts in the closing moments of a thrilling 31-28 win Friday night at Comalander Stadium.

The win propelled the Riders to 6-0 in District 26-5A and solidified their claim to No. 1. But it wasn’t easy … not by a long shot.

MacArthur (5-3, 3-3 in 26-5A), trailing 31-28 late in the game, seemed to have the momentum as they picked off a Devin Haywood pass at their own 13-yard line. But Mac’s final drive of the night stalled, and the Riders took over on downs and ran out the clock, securing the win.

The Brahmas looked as if they would take the lead on the previous possession but quarterback Clinton Killough was sacked twice before being intercepted by Lorenzo McKenzie, giving the ball back to Roosevelt.

Roosevelt opened a 21-7 lead in the second quarter and looked as if they were going run away with it as Brandon Armstrong found the end zone from 6 yards out for his second score, capping a 74-yard, 7-play drive midway through the period. He finished with 25 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

But Mac had no intention of giving up or backing down.

On the ensuing kickoff, Blake Ehninger found a seam and broke away for an 88-yard score, trimming the Riders’ lead to 21-14 and keeping the game within one possession.

Roosevelt answered the call and dialed up a trick play that caught the Brahmas’ defense off guard. Quarterback Hay-wood pitched the ball to Armstrong, who looked as if he was going to run the ball. But he in turn pitched it to Edward Richardson, who threw downfield to Keith Perkins in stride for a 36-yard touchdown run giving the Riders a 28-14 lead.

Mac mounted a charge, aided by back-to-back pass interference calls on the Riders’ Chris Barnes and were able to punch it into the end zone from 2 yards out to trim the lead to 28-21 going into halftime.

Roosevelt tacked on a third-quarter field goal for a 31-21 lead — a field goal that would turn out to be the difference in the game.

Roosevelt head coach Neal La Hue remained composed through the tense moments as his Riders weathered Mac’s comeback attempts.

“We didn’t play good the whole time, but we played hard,” he said. “This was a great 26-5A football game.”