The Personal Injury Attorney in Waldwick, NJ, You Can Trust

Jane Havsy

WALDWICK — It's OK to call the Mountain Lakes boys soccer team an underdog.

As the No. 9 seed in North 1, Group 2, the Lakers expected that. But they never felt that way.

And when Mountain Lakes upended three-time defending champion Waldwick, 1-0, on Saturday afternoon, the players proved the critics wrong while rewriting school history. It is the Lakers' first boys soccer sectional title since 1995, the year before assistant coach Justin White – a former Dover soccer player – was even born.

"It's absolutely phenomenal," said Mountain Lakes striker Marius Donnelly, who headed home the lone goal 12 minutes into the match. "It's something I've wanted to do since middle school, and I actually achieved it."

Long road home

The Lakers will host North 2, Group 1 winner Brearley in a state semifinal on Wednesday. It's particularly sweet since the players believed they'd have to go on the road all the way to the Group 1 final.

But fate, or maybe a little luck, was on Mountain Lakes' side.

No. 5 Kinnelon went down in double overtime the first round to No. 12 Park Ridge. The Owls also knocked out fourth-seeded Emerson. That set up a home game between two of the poorest-seeded teams remaining across any boys soccer section.

The Lakers are the worst seed to claim a boys soccer sectional title this fall. Brearley, which defeated top seed North Arlington, 2-1, on Saturday night, was the sixth seed in North 2, Group 1.

Mountain Lakes (13-7) has won five straight matches, and eight of its last nine since being eliminated from the Morris County Tournament by Delbarton on Oct. 11. Senior goalkeeper Ian Falconer credited the Lakers' challenging schedule – almost all matches against larger programs – with getting them to the sectional title.

"It's just amazing," Falconer said. "We still have, hopefully, two more games, to win the whole thing. It's an amazing, amazing feeling, and I'm really glad to have done it with this group."

Defense wins championships

After Mountain Lakes upset top-seeded Wallington, 2-1, last week, athletic director Charles Vellis handed over the cardboard box containing the sectional trophy. With Lakers AD Kevin Wallace back at school, head coach Mark Walters took it, put it on the bus, and told the players, "We're not giving it back. We're bringing this home."

Walters' history at Mountain Lakes goes back decades, but this is his first soccer trophy. His father, John Walters, who founded the town youth lacrosse program that turned into a high school juggernaut, drove five hours from New Hampshire, to watch the sectional final.

Mark Walters scored the first goal in Mountain Lakes lacrosse history as a sophomore in 1980. He has been Tim Flynn's assistant with the lacrosse team for more than 30 years and spent 20 at the helm of boys soccer, earning his 200th career victory last fall.

"That second half was the longest 40 minutes of sweating," Walters said of his first soccer trophy. "We did what we needed to do."

The Lakers were able to close down third-seeded Waldwick's high-powered offense by keeping 6-foot-2 center backs Kyle Maute and Harry Allen in place. They moved up the field together, trying to catch Warriors striker J.J. Ruehlemann offside.

Ruehlemann came into the match as Bergen County's leading scorer with 31 goals. But when he or another Waldwick player broke through, Falconer was there. He made nine saves for his fifth shutout, handing the Warriors (16-4) their first loss since Oct. 14.

Donnelly leads the Lakers with 16 goals, with the latest coming on a well-practiced play. He saw senior Andrew Lynch sending the cross over, angled his head to direct it past Waldwick goalkeeper Axel da Silva.

"It's honestly unreal," Allen said, highlighting the importance of defensive communication. "The past two years, I thought for sure, 'This was the year. This was the year.' This year, we didn't start off too hot. We were .500, below .500 for most of the season. We turned it up in the playoffs. Something clicked. I'm really proud of us."

After years spent working in diners, restaurants, and cafes, the Macedonian immigrant has opened a place of her own.

Soma Café and Creperie Cuisines is located at 41 W Prospect St. in Waldwick.

"It's in my blood," Nedelkoski said. "My dream was to buy a food truck but I saw this little café and knew this was going to be mine."

Like the name suggests, Soma Café and Creperie Cusines specializes in crepes, and Nedelkoski makes her own using a special machine she got from Europe.

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Having been open for two weeks, Nedelkoski is enjoying the experience of being a restaurateur, especially in Waldwick.

"I'm so happy," said Nedelkoski, of Garfield. "The customers are very nice and the town is beautiful. Everything is so perfect. It's a perfect location, next to the train station."

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A post shared by SOMA Cafe & Creperie (@somacafewaldwick)

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A post shared by SOMA Cafe & Creperie (@somacafewaldwick)

Customers have raved about the crepes and are also enjoying the gelatos, pastries and European-style coffee.

Nedelkoski said customers like the ambience of the café, which features indoor and outdoor seating, offering a European feel.

"We're giving people a taste of Europe," Nedelkoski said.

Nedelkoski said she's just happy being able to serve people.

"This is the job I really want to do," Nedelkoski said. "I love my job, I love to be around people. My dream came true."

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he Village Grille was an institution in Waldwick. So when longtime owner Bobby Meidanis made the decision to sell the restaurant, he needed just the right buyer. He found just that in Charlie Wonsowicz, a Waldwick native who has rebranded the business as W’s Village Grille. The restaurant serves American staples in a sleek setting.

Owners Charlie and Leslie Wonsowicz have lived in Waldwick for 20 years, and Leslie grew up in Waldwick. The pair previously owned W’s Grill in Oakland, but wanted to open a restaurant in their community.

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W’s Village Grille is a 3,500-square foot family-oriented eatery with a casual vibe. The interior mostly features Yankees memorabilia (more on that later) along with a dining room and bar area. Recent renovations include the addition of four tap lines, a new bar area, new flooring, and new light fixtures. The kitchen is also completely new, too.

The restaurant serves American food, and is most popular for their burgers and wings. They offer wing options such as buffalo, salt and pepper, Thai chili, old bay, garlic Parmesan, and honey BBQ. Likewise, their signature Waldwick sauce is a mix of buffalo and BBQ with hot pepper flakes. Fan favorites starters include the cheesesteak eggrolls and Bang Bang Shrimp.

Vegetarian items include the veggie cheesesteak and veggie burgers. W’s Village Grille also offers gluten-free rolls, however, they are not a gluten-free kitchen. Happy Hour specials include deals on house mixed drinks, drafts, and glasses of house wine.

W’s Village Grille offers catering and can host private parties with a minimum of 25 guests. Future plans include hosting live music.

Before getting into the restaurant business, Charlie was with the New York Yankees. He earned five World Series rings during his 21 year career as a batting practice pitcher, video coordinator, and coordinator of advance scouting. His daughter, Paige, also runs the business. Her favorite menu item is the Warrior Burger, named after the town mascot. This burger comes with bacon, Taylor ham, an egg over easy, and American cheese.

See the Latest Restaurants Open in New Jersey.

Do you accept Reservations?

No, they do not accept reservations.

Are there Gluten-free options?

Yes, they have gluten-free options.

Are there Vegetarian options?

W’s Village Grille offers vegetarian options, yes.

Do you offer Takeout?

They do offer takeout, yes.

Can you offer Delivery?

No, they do not offer delivery.

Do you have a Liquor license?

Yes, they serve alcohol.

Is there a Kids’ menu?

They have a kids’ menu, yes.

All Photos: © W’s Village Grille

raft beer continues to be increasingly popular in New Jersey. So it’s no surprise Gearblock Brewing in Waldwick is celebrating their 1-year anniversary after a successful debut in town. The craft microbrewery offers fresh varieties of quality hand-crafted ales, lagers, stouts, sours, barrel-aged beers, and more.

Gearblock Brewing boasts a 1,000-square foot tasting room and 500-square foot production area. They brew unique small batch beers as well as a few core beers. In fact, the team releases limited quantities of new beers weekly. Patrons can enjoy craft brews from the tasting room or take their favorite drinks home in a crowler. During their anniversary event from April 28 to 30, guests can enjoy live music and special beer releases.

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The brewery can seat 50 guests inside. “The decor of Gearblock is a rustic vibe which features pictures from prohibition times,” says Owner and Brewer Tony Romano. Aside from the interior, they offer two outdoor seating areas in their beer garden and behind the building. Gearblock Brewing also welcomes well-behaved dogs in these areas.

The craft beers at Gearblock Brewing feature flavors from around the world. For instance, their “Fahrvergnugen” is a German Pilsner made with a classic German yeast. They also serve the “Mastretta,” which is a Mexican Lager. Meanwhile, popular beers include the “Supra Citra” – a New England Style Pale Ale – and the “Numb Hands”. The latter is a New England Style Double IPA. In particular, Tony loves their New England Style IPAs.

Gearblock Brewing doesn’t take reservations or serve food, but they do host private events. However, they encourage patrons to bring takeout or get food delivered to the tasting room. They even have local restaurant menus behind the bar. Future plans include adding a small private area for groups of 10 to 15 people, and increasing production capacity.

The inspiration for Gearblock Brewing comes form the owner’s love of cars. Gearblock is a play on words of the components under the hood of a vehicle. Specifically, the parts that harness the engine’s power and provide torque to the wheels. Without these parts, the vehicle is powerless. Gears housed in the Gearbox – aka Gearblock – have been around for centuries, much like beer.

Prior to Gearblock Brewing, Tony was an award-winning homebrewer for five years. His partner, Ron “Uncle Ronnie” Cavaliere, also homebrewed for five years. “We would often talk about our craft beers at family gatherings; and talked about how much fun it would be to open a craft brewery,” Tony says. Both Tony and Ron grew up in Bergen County. Tony and his wife even bought their first home in Waldwick, though they now live in Mahwah.

Visit Gearblock Brewing at 140 Franklin Turnpike, Suite 2, in Waldwick.See them on Google Maps | Click to Visit their Website | Follow them on Instagram | Give them a Call.

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All Photos: © Tom Carullo / Instagram

Wonsowicz, who won five World Series titles with the New York Yankees as coordinator of advanced scouting, recently opened W's Village Grille with his wife, Leslie, in Waldwick. The family previously owned W's Grill in Oakland.

For the Wonsowicz's, the restaurant is a homecoming. The family lives in Waldwick and wanted to open a restaurant in their community, their daughter Paige said. They celebrated a grand opening on Tuesday, April 4.

While Charlie's natural home is at the baseball diamond, where he wore #87 for the Bombers, his family had a history of owning restaurants.

"This was the perfect fit for him," Paige said. "He spent years on the road and was able to transition to running a business and seeing his family all the time."

Moving the restaurant from Oakland to Waldwick was a natural fit. The new restaurant is only 12 minutes from the old one and it allows them to keep their old clientele while attracting new customers, Paige said.

Paige said W's Village Grille aims to be a family friendly restaurant that makes you feel like you're at home. And given Charlie's background, it's only natural for it to be the spot to watch the big game.

Owing to Charlie's Yankees past, the restaurant is filled with Yankees memorabilia from a lot of the players he worked with over the years. And to make sure all area baseball fans are accommodated, Paige said there is even one Mets jersey.

Yankee players are even known to pop in from time to time, Paige said.

When they took over the restaurant, the Wonsowicz's committed to doing a huge renovation of the property.

"It's a major facelift," Paige said. "We did added four tap lines and a brand new bar area. We put in new flooring and new light fixtures. The kitchen was completely gutted and brand new. A lot of work went into it."

Paige said customers rave about the cheesesteak egg rolls and love the W's wings.

W's is most well known for its burgers, which include the Warrior Burger with bacon, egg, American cheese and ham and the Panther Burger, with cheddar cheese, sautéed onions and bbq sauce.

"We make a good burger," Paige said. "We want people to go home full and happy."

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