Football Game Preview: Bayard Rustin Golden Knights vs. Downingtown East Cougars

Bayard Rustin is a perfect 3-0 against Downingtown East since October of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Golden Knights will be playing at home against the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Bayard Rustin's defense has only allowed 13.5 points per game this season, so Downingtown East's offense will have their work cut out for them.

Bayard Rustin is likely headed into the game with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Downingtown West on Friday. The Golden Knights and the Whippets were almost perfectly matched up, but the Golden Knights suffered a 20-19 defeat.

Will Garner

Rushing Yards

09/26/25 @ Downingtown West	100
09/19/25 vs Kennett	149
09/12/25 @ Norristown	115
09/05/25 vs Pope John Paul II	106

Bayard Rustin's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Will Garner, who rushed for 100 yards and a pair of scores on only 13 carries, and Colin Baldesari, who rushed for 84 yards. Garner's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 100 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Downingtown East came tearing into Friday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23.5 points), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Vikings as they made off with a 51-26 victory. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 23-0.

Bayard Rustin's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Downingtown East, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.

Bayard Rustin was able to grind out a solid victory over Downingtown East in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, winning 14-7. Will the Golden Knights repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.