Matt LaBouliere threw a touchdown pass, caught three, and there were nine other touchdowns for Coast Guard as well. Coast Guard athletics photo by Brad Clift

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

At halftime of the Coast Guard’s video game-like 92-60 win over Nichols last Saturday, quarterback Sean Burns took a moment to think about the crazy game that was unfolding in front of him.

“In the first half, when we had 64 points, I was thinking, ‘this is kind of ridiculous. I’ve never seen this before,’” Burns said. “It’s pretty surreal we scored what we did. Everything worked.”

You’d think a 90-plus point game in football would be once in a lifetime. But wide receiver Matt LaBouliere was a freshman when the Bears dropped 93 on Anna Maria in 2023 in a 69-point victory.

“I watched us score 93 and knew I wanted to be a part of something like that, to leave a legacy behind,” LaBouliere said. “I didn’t expect it to be this game, but everything was going our way I’d say. At least on offense.”

No doubt about it.

LaBouliere caught three touchdown passes in the win, tying a school mark, and also threw for one. Burns tied a school mark as well with his six touchdown passes, with Broock Desta catching two of those strikes. Harrison Hensley rushed for four scores. The offense rolled up 713 yards total.

“We kept scoring. At one point do you stop?” head coach C.C. Grant said. “We have some real talent and we are playing up to our potential right now.”

In three games, Coast Guard has scored 34 or more. It dropped its opener to the University of New England despite scoring almost 50 in a 56-49 overtime loss. It beat Curry 34-24 in Week 2. The Bears are averaging well over 600 yards (643.7) yards per game.

So why is the Bears’ offense clicking. There are a lot of reasons. One of the most obvious is Burns, who is in his first year as a starter and is only a sophomore.

“It starts with the quarterback and his understanding of the offense,” Grant said. “We had someone who was starting there for three and a half years and had to find a new one this year. We went through spring to see who emerged and Sean was that guy.”

But Burns wasn’t the most likely candidate going in.

“Sean was a safety last year and he said he wanted to try to be a quarterback,” Grant said. “He said if it doesn’t work he’d move back to safety. It’s the most important position on the field. Why not have the best possible person? And he flat out won the job.”

Burns has shown why he has won the job, throwing for 979 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s completed 54 of his 85 pass attempts.

Sure he’s been good, but he gives a ton of credit to those around him.

“It all starts up front,” Burns said. “It’s great to have the offensive line that we do with me being a first year starter. When I throw the ball, I know my receivers are going to make plays. And our running backs are going to find holes when even there doesn’t seem to be one.”

LaBouliere adds that believing in themselves has a lot to do with what the Bears have been able to achieve offensively so far.

“It’s a mixture of our pace and leadership. If we have a bad drive, we’ll come back out with a new mindset on the next one,” LaBouliere said. “We count on our ability to make plays and score points. Our confidence is there.”

Desta and LaBouliere have been Burns’ top targets, combining for seven touchdown catches and more than 500 receiving yards. Desta is a two-time All-NEWMAC pick and one of the best receivers in program history. LaBouliere has proven to be a great second option.

“He’s an all-around competitor, and he played volleyball in high school. He can jump,” Grant said. “He’s a perfect complement to Broock. It’s tough to double cover a guy because the other one will make you pay.”

For players at Coast Guard, however, it’s about more than just football. They are committed to serving their country and deal with a lot of extras that their peers in the game don’t. The academy annually admits around 300 cadets out of a pool of thousands. And there is no special treatment for admission even if you are an athlete.

“They have to do the same thing as everyone else. All of the athletes here do,” Grant said.

And once they get in, life isn’t easy, especially as a student-athlete.

“It’s tough,” Grant said. “You have to have great time management skills. If you don’t, you better develop them fast. “Every bit of their day is spoken for. Even in their free time, they are usually using that to get ahead on schoolwork.”

Burns was inspired to go into the academy because he grew up in New Jersey around one of the country's largest Coast Guard air stations.

“I’d see helicopters fly around all the time and thought, ‘wow, that would be a super cool job to have,’” Burns said. “I didn’t know that the Coast Guard had football until I started talking with the lacrosse coach. He put me in touch with coach Grant. It was a great opportunity. I couldn’t pass it up.”

Between school, drill practice, football practice and so much more, Burns has learned to manage it all.

“It builds discipline and that is something that carries over to the field,” Burns said.

LaBouliere knew at a young age he wanted to give back and go to an academy. His dad mentioned the Coast Guard to him and the rest is history.

“I get the privilege to be here,” LaBouliere said.

He credits the experience from a military standpoint for his success in football.

“It helps me stay focused and brings me structure, and you see it on the field,” LaBouliere said. “We keep each other accountable and are comfortable with it.”

He’s also comfortable with managing his time.

“You learn to manage time at a really high level,” LaBouliere said. “You have very little free time.”

Grant loves coaching these players and knows when they show up for practice, they are going to be ready to go.

“It’s fun coaching them. Football is the best part of their day,” Grant said. “Whetever they have left, they are going to give it to you. I will always get 100% of whatever they have left. If they only have 6% left because they were up late studying for a test, they are going to pour that 6% onto the field.”

For the players, football is an escape from the grind.

“Practice is a good mind clearer,” Burns said. “We have so many other obligations, so for those two or three hours, it puts me at ease. It’s a time to have fun and play the sport I love.”

And whether Coast Guard scores in the 90s or only a touchdown, Burns said he and his teammates are focused on being successful moving forward.

“Yeah, we put up 92 Saturday. It was a great weekend. A great memory. But we have to look forward to the next one and make new memories," Burns said. "We want to have a great season. And if we put up 92 or 7 in a win, a win is a win.”