NJIC athletes selected to the 2024 All-North Jersey teams
Sean Farrell
FIRST TEAM
Brayden Blanken
Emerson sophomore goalkeeper
No one in North Jersey had a better goals against average than the Cavos and no one turned away shooters at a higher clip than their acrobatic sophomore. Blanken posted a region-best .899 save percentage in his starting debut to give Emerson a share of the division title.
Axel da Silva
Waldwick senior goalie
Da Silva locked it down when it mattered most for the state champion Warriors, allowing seven goals over a 14-1 heater to end the season. His experience as a three-time starter came in handy this fall as Waldwick earned 12 shutouts.
Martin Czovek
Garfield senior defender
The 6-foot-2 Czovek was a tough customer in the back for the Boilermakers, who reached the Bergen County final for the first time in program history. He scored seven goals and three assists from the right side while limiting opponents to a 0.95 scoring average.
Zack Silberstein
Glen Rock senior defender
In his last year of soccer, the Muhlenberg baseball commit helped pitch 11 shutouts and lift Glen Rock to its first sectional title since 2018. On offense, Silberstein added two goals for the Panthers.
Michael Graf
Emerson senior midfielder
Graf was at the center of so much history for the Cavos, who set a school record with 20 wins and reached the sectional finals. He finished with 15 goals and 17 assists and wound up as the school’s all-time assist leader, with 42.
Alex Kim
Glen Rock senior midfielder
The Panthers’ captain was as versatile as it gets, moving from left back to midfield at the start of the year and finishing up at forward. Along the way, he netted 16 goals and 17 assists while driving Glen Rock to the top of its division.
JJ Ruehlemann
Waldwick senior forward
The hero of Waldwick’s state championship run led New Jersey with a school-record 40 goals and added 13 assists in his final campaign in blue and white. The Williams commit went out in style too by knocking in the winner with under two minutes left in the Group 1 final.
SECOND TEAM
Jakub Piszczatowski, Garfield senior goalkeeper
Andrej Tutureski, Garfield senior defender
Christian Ramirez, Garfield senior midfielder
