Story by Sean Farrell / NorthJersey.com
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP – On the cusp of history, JJ Ruehlemann had one wish.
If he was to break the school record for goals in a season, the Waldwick senior wanted it to come in a big win.
Did it ever.
Tied with under two minutes to go in the state championship, Ruehlemann barreled through a double-team and scored to lift the Warriors to 2-1 comeback win over Haddon Township in Sunday’s Group 1 final. His late heroics gave Waldwick its third state championship and the first since beating the same South Jersey school back in 2021.
By scoring his second of the half and state-leading 40th of the season, Ruehlemann surpassed Dennis Reyes for the most by a Warrior in one year.
So when Waldwick (21-5-1) conceded early in the final at Franklin High School, it knew it had more than enough firepower to roar back.
“Imagine scoring two goals with like five people on your back the whole time,” coach Jon Noschese said. “The kid does it. He’s got a motor and a half.”
Ruehlemann stepped onto the field Sunday with some extra nerves after being held scoreless in the last two matches and putting his milestone chase off as long as possible. But he and his Waldwick teammates also arrived with some thick skin after a season that hasn’t always gone as planned.
From a 5-4 start in September that nearly cost them a spot in the Bergen County tournament to a string of four straight one-goal games to close it out, the Warriors have lived on the edge at every step.
Another hiccup came Saturday night when four of five players succumbed to food poisoning after a team outing. Noschese joked that this will go down as the Chinese Buffet win.
Luckily, Ruehlemann was fit and ready to go.
“I would say there was definitely pressure knowing that it was the last game and knowing you want to leave something on the line,” Ruehlemann said. “But at the same time, we played [27] games this season. We’re a really good team and I knew we were able to able to do it.”
What it means
This was the third time in four years that Waldwick and Haddon Township met in the state championship round. While the Warriors finished on the wrong side in the last meeting in 2022, that playoff experience was not all for naught.
“I think it was enormous knowing what it takes,” Ruehlemann said. “Because we have a bunch of senior guys here and even juniors who went in that game, saw that game and know what the atmosphere is like. We were on this field. It gave us a lot of confidence.”
Inside the match
Before Ruehlemann came up with a storybook finish, it was Haddon Township that came through with a fast start.
The Hawks scored on a free kick less than two minutes in when senior Joseph Sheehan headed in a cross from Bobby McIlvaine. Haddon Township continue to apply pressure on goalie Axel da Silva by earning four corners in the first 25 minutes and finding pockets down the left side with McIlvaine and Brody Beals combining nicely.
But Waldwick built up steam late in the half and it carried on through intermission.
“Coming into this game, we knew it would be a dogfight,” da Silva said. “We just kept playing our game, kept our heads straight on and we did it.”
Waldwick’s first goal came with just under 30 minutes left on an in-swinging corner from Isaac Vargas. The ball caromed between two Waldwick players and over to Ruehlemann, who stuck a foot out and poked the ball to the top right corner.
The match mellowed in the last 10 minutes and seemed to be heading to overtime. Then with 1:38 to go, the Warriors got a moment of magic. Ruehlemann chested down a long ball from Elvis Hernandez, chipped it over a defender and toed it over the keeper.
When asked about a goal-filled journey, Ruehlemann thought back to the people around him.
“Honestly no joke it’s the support of my teammates,” Ruehlemann said. “Isaac [Vargas]. Last year Jack Johnson. All these guys. Victor [Lara], Brez [Ethan Brezden]. I could name so many guys. It’s us all collaborating and building the bond together and trusting them.”
Waldwick’s built a pretty good bond on defense, too, with Noah Ysern, Erik Mezini, Tom Aligo and Jake Carroll in the back. Mezini provided a key clear as time was winding down.
“I’m a little emotional,” Noschese said. “This team came from nowhere. Nobody thought we had it. People really didn’t think we had it but we really knew we had it. We just had to get ourselves together. We’ve been on a hell of a run.”
