New London - Scott Wawrzyniak had a choice when he left St. Francis de Sales High School in Toledo, Ohio.

He could join brother Nick at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs or brother Jake at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London.

"I guess he likes the other brother better," Jake Wawrzyniak said Wednesday.

Scott, however, who walked on to the football team as a freshman at Division I Air Force before suffering a season-ending injury and also plays club hockey and is a member of the boxing team there, has been able to join Jake this semester through an alternate plan.

Scott, a linebacker, is an exchange student at Coast Guard, joining Jake (495 yards, 8 rushing TDs), a senior a running back, on the football team. Scott made four tackles Saturday in the team's season-opening loss to St. Lawrence, while Jake rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Parents Jeff and Kathy flew in at 7 a.m. Saturday in time for the game and will be in attendance this week, as well, as the Bears take on Merchant Marine in their season's military rivalry game (2:30 p.m., Cadet Memorial Stadium).

Scott, who is 6-foot, 215 pounds, ultimately chose Air Force because of his wish to be a pre-med major, a choice not offered at Coast Guard.

"It's a lot smaller (at Coast Guard). Everybody knows each other; it's a tight-knit group of people," Scott said from the Bears' weekly football luncheon. "An academy is an academy. I know what to expect. You just see people more often.

"… As soon as I heard about the opportunity (to spend a semester at Coast Guard), I put in the application and went through the interviews. It was an opportunity to play with Jake again. It felt great. It was good to get back and hit somebody. It all came back to me at once, very naturally."

Jake and Scott, a year apart, played youth football together with their dad as coach, Scott playing up an age group to remain with his brother and father.

The brothers were also part of the first state hockey championship victory in St. Francis de Sales history, playing forward on the same line with Scott as the left wing and Jake as the right wing. Scott assisted on the game-winning goal in overtime.

Jake applied to Air Force, as well, but was put on the waiting list. He also wanted to play football. He chose Division III Coast Guard, where he led the team with 10 kickoff returns for 188 yards as a freshman and rushed for two touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had 35 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, a win over MIT.

Jake, a management major, wants to be a Coast Guard pilot, as Nick is currently for the Air Force. Jake has also played club hockey at Coast Guard and agrees with Scott that the small nature of the academy leads to making stronger connections with people.

"I had been on both campuses and shadowed both (brothers)," Scott said. "It was a matter of going 20-some hours to the west or 13 hours east. … A big thing (at Air Force) was the career opportunities. I've always wanted to be a doctor and help people."

"They're very physical, hard-hitting kids," Coast Guard coach Bill George said of the Wawrzyniaks. "Jake has really matured. He's developed into a great leader. … He's a physical runner. He's determined.."

Scott has been clued in to the Coast Guard rivalry with Merchant Marine, one that Jake, an Ohio State fan, equates to Ohio State-Michigan for sheer intensity. Merchant Marine has won the last three games all by seven points or fewer.

Said Scott of the next game on the schedule: "I've gotten a little bit of advice. I've heard some stories."

v.fulkerson@theday.com

Twitter: @vickieattheday