FIRST TEAM ALL-STATE
M-Yusufu Jaiteh, Harrison, Sr.
Yusufu Jaiteh (7) of Harrison moves the ball past Wesley Reich (6) of Sterling during the boys soccer NJSIAA Group 2 Final at Franklin High school in Somerset, NJ on Sunday, November 24, 2024.Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media
Jaiteh was all over the field at all times for the Blue Tide this season. A holding/defensive midfielder for coach Mike Rusek this season, Jaiteh went from being a marquee scoring option the last few years to sacrificing goals for the sake of helping the team. He was a field general in the middle for a Blue Tide that made its first state final since 2014 and it was hard to miss Jaiteh when he was out there. A strong, fast, physical presence, Jaiteh never seemed to make an errant pass and always demonstrated impressive field vision to find his teammates either in space or tight passing windows to help Harrison play its possession oriented style. He also wasn’t afraid to dribble with the ball at his feet and take midfielders and defenders one-on-one and when he did, he usually found himself deep in the attacking third as he was hard to stop and helped power and set up Harrison’s. He had five goals and 10 assists this year and scored the fifth and final penalty kick of the Group 2 semifinal against Glen Rock to send Harrison back to the state final.
THIRD TEAM ALL-STATE
F-JJ Ruehlemann, Waldwick, Sr.
Julian Ruehlemann (13) of Waldwick fires a shot against Haddon Township during the boys soccer NJSIAA Group 1 Final at Franklin High school in Somerset, NJ on Sunday, November 24, 2024.Tom Horak | For NJ Advance Media
Ruehlemann led the entire state in goals this year with 40 as he also led Waldwick to a Group 1 state title, it’s second since 2021. A Williams College commit, Ruehlemann’s 40 goals set a Waldwick single-season record and are the most of any player in Bergen County since 2019. He scored both of Waldwick’s goals in a 2-1 win over Haddon Township in the state final and had seven goals in the state tournament altogether and had four goals and two assists as Waldwick made the Bergen County semis for the first time since 1995. He had a whopping 13 multi-goal games this year, including six with at least a hat trick and finished his career with 81 goals, second-most among active career players in New Jersey over the last four years.
All-Group 1
First Team
F-JJ Ruehlemann, Waldwick, Sr.
M-Michael Graf, Emerson, Sr.
M-Isaac Vargas, Waldwick, Jr.
D-Mateo Bolognini, Pompton Lakes, Sr.
G-Brayden Blanken, Emerson, So.
Second Team
F-Nicolas Stanzione, North Arlington, Sr.
F-Damian Taraska, Saddle Brook, Sr.
M-Matt Sabatella, Emerson, Sr.
G-Axel Da Silva, Waldwick, Sr.
Third Team
M-Daniel Dimoski, Saddle Brook, Sr.
M-Alex Lyszczarczyk, Wallington, So.
D-Jake Carroll, Waldwick, Sr.
All-Group 2
First Team
M-Yusuf Jaiteh, Harrison, Sr.
D-Zachary Silberstein, Glen Rock, Sr.
Second Team
M-Cristian Carranza, Harrison, Sr.
M/F-Robert Dasler, Lyndhurst, Jr.
Third Team
M-Alex Kim, Glen Rock, Sr.
M/F-Alejandro Miranda, Rutherford, Sr.
ALL-GROUP 3
First Team
M-Christian Ramirez, Garfield, Sr.
Third Team
D-Martin Czovek, Garfield, Sr.
Final boys soccer group and conference rankings for 2024
GROUP 3
- 1-Shawnee (21-2-1)
- 2-Randolph (16-6-3)
- 3-Rahway (17-7-1)
- 4-Ramapo (17-5)
- 5-Moorestown (18-6-1)
- 6-Long Branch (12-11)
- 7-Steinert (16-5-3)
- 8-Colts Neck (18-1-2)
- 9-Garfield (17-5)
- 10-Summit (16-2-1)
GROUP 2
- 1-Sterling (14-5-5)
- 2-Robbinsville (20-2-2)
- 3-Harrison (19-6-2)
- 4-Glen Rock (16-4-2)
- 5-Delran (12-8-2)
- 6-Cinnaminson (16-5-1)
- 7-Hackettstown (20-6)
- 8-Voorhees (19-4)
- 9-Madison (19-2)
- 10-Haddonfield (9-12-1)
GROUP 1
- 1-Waldwick (21-5-1)
- 2-Haddon Township (16-7-2)
- 3-Glen Ridge (15-7-1)
- 4-Brearley (11-6-1)
- 5-Emerson (20-3-1)
- 6-Schalick (19-3)
- 7-Palmyra (13-8)
- 8-Shore (14-9)
- 9-New Providence (13-6)
- 10-Woodstown (16-5)
NORTH JERSEY INTERSCHOLASTIC CONFERENCE RANKINGS
- 1-Waldwick (21-5-1)
- 2-Harrison (19-6-2)
- 3-Glen Rock (16-4-2)
- 4-Emerson (20-3-1)
- 5-Garfield (17-5)
- 6-Rutherford (15-5-2)
- 7-Pompton Lakes (13-6-1)
- 8-Lyndhurst (16-7-1)
- 9-Dwight-Englewood (15-5-1)
- 10-Wallington (13-7)
NORTH JERSEY INTERSCHOLASTIC CONFERENCE
By: Jake Aferiat | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Player of the Year: JJ Ruehlemann, Waldwick
Ruehlemann finished 2024 as the state’s leading scorer with 40 goals and 14 assists. A third-team All-State choice this year, the Williams College commit became the first Bergen County player to score 40 goals in a season since 2019 and set a Waldwick single-season record for goals.
He scored both goals in Waldwick’s 2-1 win over Haddon Township in the Group 1 final, one of 13 multi-goal games for the senior forward this year. If there was a big goal or an assist that Waldwick needed, it was usually Ruehlemann who provided it, as he scored and assisted on both goals in Waldwick’s comeback win over Indian Hills in the North 1, Group 1 semis, as well as scoring and assisting on both of Waldwick’s goals in a 2-1 win over Emerson to send Waldwick to its first-ever Bergen County Tournament semifinal berth.
Ruehlemann finished his career with 81 goals, good for the second most of any active player in New Jersey over the last four years.
Team of the Year: Waldwick
The Warriors were the only NJIC team to win state title this year, as coach Jon Noschese’s group won its third state title all-time and its second since 2021 with a 2-1 win over Haddon Township. Waldwick went 21-5-1 on the season and lost just once from Sept. 30 on, a 1-0 loss to Garfield in Waldwick’s first-ever berth in the Bergen County Tournament semifinals. Along the way, they beat Wallington, tied Glen Rock, beat Emerson three times, beat West Essex and beat Glen Ridge as some of the signature results for this team.
Thanks in part to the exploits of the state’s leading scorer in JJ Ruehlemann, who scored 40 of Waldwick’s 83 goals, the Warriors finished 2024 ranked tied for seventh in goals scored (83), tied for sixth in goal differential (+61) and were 15th in goals against per game (.81) as Axel Da Silva made 88 saves and the team posted 12 shutouts as well.
Coach of the Year: Matt Beverin, Glen Rock
Beverin took over the reigns of his alma mater back in 2019, continuing a nearly four decades long trend of a Glen Rock alum leading the Panthers. And this year, Beverin finally got his program back to a North 1, Group 2 section final for the first time since 2018 after getting knocked out and upset in the first round of last year’s state tournament. During the regular season, Glen Rock picked up statement wins against Bergenfield, Garfield, Pompton Lakes and tied eventual Group 1 champs Waldwick, while tying and then ultimately beating Ramsey, which had won the last three section crowns. Glen Rock ultimately fell to Harrison in a shootout, but the Panthers conceded just four goals in five postseason games and had 11 shutouts on the season.
The Panthers also had one of the state’s top offenses, ranking 11th in the state with 80 goals scored, ninth in goal differential (+60) and eighth in goals per game (3.64). Leading the charge offensively were Alex Kim (16 goals, 17 assists), Harrison Wortley (24 goals, nine assists) and Drew Carlin (six goals, 17 assists).
Other storylines:
- Emerson (20-3-1) set a program record for wins this year as the Cavos also claimed the No. 1 seed in North 1, Group 1 for the first time in coach Rich Compagnone’s six years at the helm. All three of Emerson’s losses this year were by one goal to eventual Group 1 state champs Waldwick, but it was still a strong year for the Cavos, who posted 13 shutouts thanks to the exploits of sophomore Brayden Blanken (133 saves, 13 shutouts) in net. Emerson ranked tied for fourth in the state in fewest goals allowed per game ( and tied for seventh in total goals against (15) while ranking 12th in goal differential (+52) thanks to three double digit scorers in Michael Graf (15 goals, 17 assists), Matt Sabatella (12 goals, 11 assists) and Leo Mandile (18 goals, four assists)
- Harrison (19-6-2) returned back to the state final for the first time since 2014 this year after winning both North 2, Group 2 section final and the Group 2 semifinal, the latter of which was won by a shootout. The Blue Tide got upset and knocked out last year as the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 2 but exorcised those deamons with a commanding 5-0 win over the team that knocked them out last year and beat them during the season in Lyndhurst. The Blue Tide also had one of the state’s most dynamic players in Yusufu Jaiteh in the midfield and with 19 wins, coach Mike Rusek Jr. vaulted former North Brunswick coach Stan Williston and longtime Bergen County coaching legend Roy Nygren for 17th on the state’s all-time wins list with a career record of 468-72-25.
- John Randazzo of Rutherford (15-5-2) became the fifth active NJIC coach to reach the 200-plus career win mark this year, hitting the double century milestone with a 3-2 win over Weehawken on Sept. 15. The Bulldogs had big wins over Harrison, Glen Rock, Columbia, Lyndhurst and Chatham this year and had their first 20-plus goal scorer since 2016 as Alejandro Miranda had 20 goals and 10 assists. In 21 years at the helm, Randazzo is 211-153-26 and joins Pompton Lakes’ Rob Edgar, Hawthorne Christian’s Tyler Van Dyk, Waldwick’s Jon Noschese and Harrison’s Mike Rusek Jr. as active NJIC coaches with 200-plus wns.
- Saddle Brook (14-8) had its winningest season in coach Chris Alfieri’s 14 years at the helm this year and won its first state tournament game since 2013 as well with a 4-0 opening round win over Kittatinny in this year’s North 1, Group 1 tournament. Alfieri is 106-140-18 in 14 seasons leading the Falcons and had one of the NJIC’s top players in Daniel Dimoski (18 goals, 19 assists), while senior forward Damian Taraska (18 goals, nine assists), signed to play soccer at Rider, becoming the first Division I player out of Saddle Brook in Alfieri’s time there.
