North Jersey Male Athlete of the Week is a man of many talents

JJ Ruehlemann is a man of many talents.

A voracious reader with a 4.6 GPA and three AP classes on his schedule. The son of a German immigrant who's trying to learn his dad's native language. And a pretty lethal scorer for the Waldwick boys soccer team.

Ruehlemann has beaten goalies more than anyone in Bergen County this season with 31 goals heading into Saturday's North 1, Group 1 final with Mountain Lakes. He scored eight times in three victories last week and buried the winner against rival Cresskill in the quarterfinals.

So much for the notion that the Warriors were re-tooling for 2024.

"The whole season, people have been saying that we're young," Ruehlemann said. "But honestly, this is what I expected. (Coach Jon Noschese) is such a great coach. He knows how to get the best out of us as a team and we really click."

For as much optimism as Ruehlemann felt about his team, not even he expected this level of offensive dominance out of himself. He took on a supporting role last year for the Group 1 finalists and finished with 10 goals as a sophomore.

Then came a growth spurt that saw him shoot from 5-foot-8 to around 6-foot. Putting on some muscle and height changed the complexion of his game and convinced the Warriors to move him up from the midfield.

Ruehlemann embraced the challenge this summer.

"I think the biggest thing is probably my confidence on the field and being assertive," Ruehlemann said. "Now that I'm a captain, I have to have confidence."

Soccer is a big deal in the Ruehlemann household.

JJ's older brother Lucas played four years for the Warriors before going on to Division III Wesleyan. His dad, Achim, dabbled in soccer and tennis growing up in Düsseldorf before moving to the United States in his late-20's.

Learning a second language has been one way for JJ to embrace his roots on occasional trips back to Europe.

"It's been tricky, but it's really cool," said Ruehlemann, whose mother was born in Queens to two Columbian parents. "I like connecting with my German relatives."

Ruehlemann started his journey into the soccer world at around 5 or 6.

Following his brother's lead came with some pressure at first, but Ruehlemann is lucky to have Lucas by his side.

"I would say he's influenced my soccer career a lot," Ruehlemann said. "Probably the most of anyone really. We always play with each other and I always look up to him when I play."

It can be easy to make comparisons between two relatives, but Noschese is hesitant to connect two players with their own paths and personalities.

JJ describes himself as more outgoing than the 2021 graduate. On the field, the younger brother is five inches taller and sees himself as more of a finisher than someone who controls tempo and builds play.

In the end, each path has been lined in gold for the Waldwick soccer dynasty. Ruehlemann's hat trick in the regular-season finale helped the Warriors go unbeaten in league play this fall.

"JJ is such a verbal and physical leader out on the field. Just like his brother," Noschese said. "He's kind of like another coach out there. He's telling everybody where to go. He sees the game really well."

There was certainly plenty to talk about after the captain's clutch start to the postseason.

Ruehlemann picked up four goals against Butler in the opening round and sent home Cresskill with a first-half strike set up by Jack Johnson.

"That felt really good," Ruehlemann said. "Because of course it's a big rivalry (with Cresskill). It gets a little bit heated. We might not all like each other on the field sometimes."

Julian Ruehlemann

Sport: Soccer

School: Waldwick

Class: Junior. Age: 16

Accomplishment: Ruehlemann led the Warriors to wins in all three games last week with a total of eight goals.

Also nominated: Robbie Carcich of Westwood and Joe Russo of Hasbrouck Heights for football, and Aidan Morrow of Hasbrouck Heights for cross-country.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen Record Male Athlete of the Week: Julian Ruehlemann, Waldwick