Home Care In Mountain Lakes, NJ

As Wawa closes in on its goal to open more than six dozen new locations in 2023, the gas-and-food chain preparing back-to-back store launches in New Jersey.

Scheduled to begin welcoming customers Nov. 30 at 8 a.m. in Sewell (108 Egg Harbor Road) and Dec. 1 at 8 a.m. in Mountain Lakes (370 Route 46), the new locations will be the chain’s 55th and 58th grand openings this year.

As part of the celebrations, both stores will offer free any-size coffee all day, along with a limited-edition “Wawa Coffee, Hoagies & Kindness” T-shirt giveaway to the first 100 customers.

Festivities will also include 8:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremonies with Wawa’s mascot, Wally Goose, as well as a hoagie-building competition between first responders to benefit charity. At Mountain Lakes, New York Red Bulls alum Bradley Wright-Phillips will be on hand to greet customers, distribute autographed cards and give out swag.

According to Wawa, Sewell and Mountain Lakes each have built-to-order fresh food kitchens featuring the brand’s signature hoagies and latest food innovations, as well as coffee, baked goods and specialty beverages available via mobile ordering, curbside pickup and delivery. Additionally, the two will offer packaged goods, fuel services and catering.

Paul Bressler will serve as Sewell’s general manager, overseeing a team of 50 associates, while Taylan Foraker will lead 50 workers in Mountain Lakes — all of which are newly created local jobs, Wawa said.

In a statement, Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens said, “At Wawa, our core purpose is fulfilling lives every day, and since our first store opened, we’ve believed that we all have a role in making this world a better place.”

He added, “Our associates deliver experiences and often create emotional connections with customers that go beyond what traditionally happens in a retail environment, and we look forward to welcoming old friends and making new ones in this wonderful community.”

As part of a larger goal to launch 1,800 outlets nationwide by 2030, the Pennsylvania-headquartered chain aims to end 2023 with 76 new stores across its operating area New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.

Within New Jersey, Wawa has steadily grown its 260-plus store footprint in recent months, with grand openings in towns including Ramsey, East Hanover, Clementon, Lakehurst, Neptune and Hamilton.

The chain expects to close out 2023 with about a dozen more store openings, mainly in Florida, according to its website.

Dominant in the South Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia markets, Wawa continues to expand into North Jersey, including a planned fourth-quarter grand opening in Mountain Lakes.

But the home of the Hoagiefest − and its new pizza menu − still has a long way to go in the convenience-store wars centered in Morris County, where QuickChek is still king.

Wawa estimates a fourth-quarter grand opening for its sixth Morris County location. A groundbreaking at the Route 46 site, formerly home to the Zeris Inn banquet hall, took place early this year. The gas-pump station canopy is currently under construction in front of a brick-store building that is nearing completion.

Wawa vs. QuickChek

Based in the Wawa area of Chester Heights in Pennsylvania, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014 and now has more than 1,000 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.

With a grand opening last week in Lakehurst, Wawa now has 284 locations in the Garden State, spokesperson Alyson Mucha said Tuesday. "We look forward to continuing to serve our communities in New Jersey," she added.

More:QuickChek or Wawa? Which one is growing faster in NJ?

Wawa's statewide footprint outpaces its closest competitor, Readington-based QuickChek, which has 144 stores in New Jersey along with 14 in New York's Hudson Valley region and six on Long Island.

That includes 17 QuickCheks in Morris County, including the newest outpost, which opened in November on Route 10 in Denville. Another is scheduled to open on Route 10 in East Hanover before the end of the year.

The first New Jersey QuickChek opened in Dunellen in 1967. Like Wawa, the company traces its roots to a dairy farm.

Replacing banquet hall

Back in Mountain Lakes, the newest Wawa will replace a business that hosted local parties and celebrations for a half-century. After more than 50 years in business, the former Zeris Inn was demolished in May 2022 to make way for the convenience store.

By the time the businesses closed last year, the Zeris had hosted more than 6,000 weddings along with countless fundraisers and charity events, according to former co-owner Andy Zeris. Before he and his brothers bought the business, it had operated as the Rainbow Lakes Inn, he said last year, as he watched the demolition.

"They used to come from all over, up and down the highway, from the [Delaware] River to the city," Zeris said.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — Daisy Duda joked that she's selfish. The Mountain Lakes junior refused to give up the NJSIAA Group 1 girls soccer trophy. She called it the team's baby, which "left home and it came back to us."

The Lakers defeated Point Pleasant Beach for the second year in a row to capture their third NJSIAA title in four seasons.

Mountain Lakes started its dynasty by beating Shore Regional in 2019, then won the Northwest A COVID-tinged championship. The Lakers lost to Shore in Group 1 in 2021, before rebounding to defeat Point Beach, 5-1, last fall.

"It's the best feeling in the world," said Duda, part of a trio of juniors – with Abby Hawes and Maya Ritchie – Mountain Lakes coach Sean Maurizi dubbed the Strike Force.

The Lakers' Strike Force came through on Sunday. Hawes scored twice, and Ritchie once, with Duda delivering three assists.

As Point Beach scored on a deflection 10 minutes into the second half, Hawes recalled the Group 1 final freshman year, when Mountain Lakes squandered a 2-0 lead and lost in overtime. She added an insurance goal with less than two minutes to play, then the trio subbed out together and started the Lakers' celebration.

"I can't believe that just happened," said Hawes, who led Mountain Lakes with 17 goals. "We have so many new people. A lot of girls, it's the first varsity sport they've ever played. It's something completely new for them. It's so exciting that I get to experience it with them, and we all get to experience it together."

Long road back to glory

After graduating 17 seniors, Mountain Lakes (15-7) felt like an underdog. A 7-2 season-opening loss to Madison didn't help change attitudes, at least on the outside.

But the young Lakers believed in each other. The five veterans brought their new teammates into the tradition Maurizi has been trying to build since coming over from Briarcliff Middle School. He started cultivating talent in the Mountain Lakes/Boonton Township youth program, bringing them up through a shared system.

Flashback!Mountain Lakes girls soccer beats Point Beach for second state crown

The Lakers end the season with wins in nine of their last 10, after a first-round loss in the Morris County Tournament. They have won six in a row.

"At our last practice, I said for all the freshmen, I knew how it felt. It's the worst feeling in the world to lose a final," Duda said. "To experience it last year, it's the best ever. With our new team, I was so hyped to be able to let these new teammates experience it. It's such a high."

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."

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The wait is almost over. Wawa's newest Morris County store is set to open before the end of the year.

According to Jennifer Wolf, a spokesperson for Wawa, the popular convenience store chain will open its newest location in Mountain Lakes this December. Although no official opening date has been set, Wolf believes the store will open in the first few days of December.

The new store will be located in the former Zeris Inn at 372 US-46, Mountain Lakes.

According to the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, the Zeris family story in New Jersey began after WWII, when Steve Zeris moved to the United States and opened his own business, The Parthenon Diner in Parsippany, in the early 1950s.

His four sons — Peter, George, Andy and Chris—accompanied him to the United States in the 1960s, where they worked for several years at Cutter Bar and Restaurant in Morristown.

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By 1966, the Zeris family had purchased the Hamburger Inn at the Florham Park Bowling Alley, a business that was so successful that the family was able to purchase the Hamilton Luncheonette in Morristown as well.

In 1972, the Zeris family sold both profitable companies to open the Zeris Inn.

The Zeris Inn opened in 1973, and by 1997, the family had also constructed the Chrisandis Restaurant on the same property, named after Chris and Andy.

By the time the enterprises closed, the Zeris family said that they had hosted over 6,000 weddings, as well as numerous fundraisers and charitable events.

"They cemented themselves and their business as a staple in the social fabric and family lives of many residents of Morris County," the Morris County Board of County Commissioners said.

Discussions about converting the property into a Wawa began in December 2020, when Highview Commercial, LLC, submitted an application to the borough's planning board.

After several public hearings, the board voted 8 to 1 to approve the application in June 2021, with board members Martin Kane, Kelly Holliday, Nicholas Coppola, Mitchell Stern, Jeff Berei, Thomas Menard, Bethany Russo, and Audrey Lane voting in favor and John Horan voting against.

Wawa's traditional menu offerings can be viewed here for both food and beverages.

According to Wolf, more details will be released once Wawa is able to finalize the grand opening date and celebration details.

PISCATAWAY – Marco Dzamba traces this season’s version of the Mountain Lakes football team all the way back to the third grade.

At that time, the senior two-way standout and most of his elementary-school teammates started playing organized football. That team scored on its first play, never scored again, and didn’t win a single game the rest of the season.

Since then, a lot has happened. Dzamba and Mountain Lakes are now on a whole other level.

A year after coming up short in New Jersey's first-ever state championship game, the Herd’s return to the Group 1 title game at Rutgers' SHI Stadium yielded the Morris County school its first state title with a 24-6 win over Glassboro on Sunday.

“It’s amazing. I’m so proud and happy of all the boys who made a deal at the beginning of the season and a first meeting back in June that we’re going to get back to this point after last year’s loss. We did exactly that. There’s no better way to end your high school career than this,” Dzamba said. “After last year, we made a promise to ourselves. I can’t stress that enough that this year’s team was not going to have that same feeling again of losing on this field, under the lights and the big stage and everything.

“This was all our hard work throughout the season. This game was a culmination of all the football we’ve been playing since third grade together and it truly shined on the big stage.”

Dzamba was the best player on the field Sunday in his final high school game. He finished with nine tackles (five solo), a sack, a blocked punt, two forced fumbles, an interception and a defensive touchdown.

The linebacker was one of four players to score for the Herd. He forced a fumble on a Glassboro punt at the 7-yard line, then recovered it in the end zone with 10:21 left in the game. That put the Herd up 16-0 and put the game out of reach.

“This group was on a mission. We hugged that day and said 'we’ll be back.' You say, but you don’t know if it’s ever really going to happen as it’s so much stuff to really get back here. But the kids really believed that,” Mountain Lakes coach Darrell Fusco said. “When the playoffs started, we found a different level. They’ve been just outstanding every week. Our defense was outstanding. Our kids just believed from day one. They really felt we were going to get back here and we said if we get back here we were going to make sure we enjoyed the trip.”

Aidan Malnati opened the scoring for Mountain Lakes when he barreled in from the 1-yard line to cap a three-play drive with 6:50 left in the first quarter. Malnati’s touchdown was set up when he recovered a punt blocked by Dzamba at their own 17-yard line.

Kicker Matt Shertzer added to the lead when he nailed a 27-yard field goal with :47 left in the third quarter for a 10-0 lead.

Senior Jordan Hernando closed out the Herd’s scoring on a 12-yard run with 3:18 left to play.

What it means

Mountain Lakes is the NJSIAA Group 1 state champion for the first time in program history. The Herd are the first Morris County team in history to win a state title in any group.

Mountain Lakes closes out the season at 11-2 and won five straight games on the way to the title.

“As soon as we lost the game last year, we had a lot of juniors playing in that game, we all said we’re going to get back here next year. Obviously, that was a long ways away,” senior two-way lineman and Penn commit Cosmo Fusco said. “We put in all the work that we needed to do, won the game we needed to win. No better feeling than getting that promise done.”

Glassboro, playing in its first state final, had its six-game win streak snapped and finishes the season with a 9-4 mark. The South Jersey school, made up of mostly underclassmen and several freshman and sophomores in the starting lineup, is expected to be a team to watch in the coming years.

Inside the numbers

Running back Ian Redzepagic rushed for a game-high 64 yards on 12 carries for Mountain Lakes.

Hernando rushed for 41 yards on 15 carries.

Mountain Lakes outrushed Glassboro 99-41 and amassed 194 total yards compared to the Bulldogs’ 132.

Glassboro receiver Xavier Sabb had five receptions for 99 yards.

Quarterback Kristopher Foster threw for a game-high 153 yards on 11-of-18 and a touchdown for Glassboro.

Damere Lassiter scored the lone touchdown for Glassboro, a 37-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

Final words

“It’s unreal. As a kid, I watched every Herd game. Watched my dad [Darrell Fusco] play and always dreamed of playing for him. It’s a better experience than anything. Obviously senior year to win our first state championship is a perfect ending. We’ve been playing together since third grade and always dreamed of playing in high school. We finally got here and got it done.” – Cosmo Fusco.

“It was a big difference being here last year. I thought last year we were a little bit on fumes after the game we played against Weequahic. We had a different approach coming here. The kids were zoned in and knew what to expect. Everyone wants to play at MetLife [Stadium], but we lost here and this was part of the mission to come back to Rutgers.” – Darrell Fusco.