On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, Central Bucks West seniors Patrick Keller, Matt LaBouliere, Ethan Shine & Liam Powers were recognized for committing to play football at the collegiate level.
Patrick Keller – Temple University (Football)
Major: Sports, Tourism & Hospitality Management
Final list of colleges: Temple, Albany, Delaware, Ithaca, West Chester
Reasons for choosing Temple: “Just how close to home it was as well as the feel I got from the staff when I visited. They made me feel like I was going to be comfortable there and I could be the best that I can be.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “Right before my transition to high school in Pop Warner, we had really good teams, and just seeing that level of talent already building around me and always watching college football inspired my love for it.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “Pat Keller was a senior and junior captain – a two-year captain, which doesn’t happen very often. I have a special relationship with the quarterbacks, and Pat is somebody I’ve worked with for a long time and certainly one of the most coachable football players I’ve ever been around. He has a quiet confidence about him and a fierce fire in his belly. Pat will always be first team all-state in my mind. He set a number of school records and was in the top three for so many more. Pat set the standard for what we want a CB East quarterback to be, and we’ve had some really great ones that Pat is the same echelon with. More than setting the standard, he upheld the standard. We are so fortunate to have coached all four of these young men and are excited about their futures at the next level, and we look forward to seeing the trails that they blaze.”
About Pat:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite movie: It’s a Wonderful Life
Favorite music: 70s/80s Classic Rock
Matt LaBouliere – U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Football)
Major: Cyber Systems
Final list of colleges: U.S. Coast Guard, Wentworth (for volleyball)
Reasons for choosing the Coast Guard Academy: “At first it was the West Point thing, and I got kind of lost with it, so I went back to volleyball. My dad brought up the Coast Guard, so I looked into it. Around October or November, I started my 
application, which is way later than most. I made that my top school.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “For most of high school, I told myself I wanted to do volleyball, and for a couple of months before the season, I said – I’ll just keep the door open, see what it can get me. I talked to my coach, and he helped me out.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “Matty LaBouliere is a young man who has been part of our Rising Patriot Youth Camp for many, many years. Matt is an outstanding athlete, an accomplished all-state volleyball player and an incredible defensive player but also an offensive player as well. Matty can jump through the roof, and that’s one of the things that made him extremely skilled and competitive, but he’s also an extremely fierce competitor. That was evident on the field many times over. Matty was a great leader for us as a captain as was Liam Powers and Ethan Shine. He will be dearly missed on both sides of the ball and on special teams.”
About Matt:
Favorite food: Cheesesteak
Favorite movie: Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse
Favorite artist: Metro Boomin
Liam Powers – Penn State University (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Penn State, Temple, Fordham, St. Francis
Reasons for choosing Penn State: “The good family atmosphere I felt every time I was up there, and it’s going to set me up for my future too.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I started playing football
when I was in kindergarten, and it’s something I always loved. I grew up around it – my dad played football, my brother played football, and just going to my brother’s games, I always knew it was something I wanted to do.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “Liam Powers accepted a preferred walk-on offer to Penn State University where I believe he will do outstanding things. He will most likely move into a center position just based on his height, but he has proven from an athletic standpoint and a strength standpoint that he is more than capable to play Big 10 football. The list of accolades go on and on from setting the school record for pancake blocks to all kinds of all-league, all-area, all-state accolades. He participated in the East-West PA All-Star Football Classic just a week before the Big 33 game. I’ve known Liam and his family for a long time. I’ve watched Liam come through our Rising Patriot Football Camp, and to see where he is now, we are extremely proud and can’t wait to see him run onto the field at State College and be a productive player for that program.”
About Liam:
Favorite food: Chipotle
Favorite artist: Drake
Ethan Shine – Robert Morris University (Football)
Major: Business/Finance & Economics
Final list of colleges: Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Bryant
Reasons for choosing Robert Morris: “Just the community there – it’s the second biggest school in Pittsburgh and the 
second biggest school in terms of land in Pennsylvania. The business school is good, and I want to be successful and get a job after college.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level?
“Since probably first grade, I always wanted to be in the NFL. Now I’m in high school – it’s all the more realistic. Maybe I won’t make it to the NFL, but just playing four more years of football has always been a dream for me that not every person gets. It’s a surreal happy moment for me.”
Coach John Donnelly says: “Ethan Shine – where do we start? Ethan is another kid that came through our Rising Patriot Football program youth camp for many years. He was a kid that played a little bit of soccer for a club team while he was coming through ninth grade until he finally made the full move over to football. Ethan was even on the offensive line as a freshman on the freshman team. He was quickly moved to running back sophomore year and as a linebacker, and he never looked back, culminating with a first team 6A PA Sportswriters all-state team in his senior year. He rushed for over 1900 yards, which was top three in the state. He was first team all-league on offense and defense his junior and senior year, which is nearly impossible. He was the Intelligencer all-area defensive player of the year. Robert Morris is extremely fortunate to have the likes of Ethan Shine for the next four years. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.”
About Ethan:
Favorite food: Cheeseburgers & Chipotle
Favorite movie: Inception
Favorite artist: J Cole
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