Kane County Chronicle Boys Soccer Player of the Year: Mason Brockmeyer’s dedication drove St. Charles East to DuKane title

St. Charles East Senior Mason Brockmeyer is the Kane County Chronicle boys soccer player of the year.

Mason Brockmeyer said he holds himself to a high standard on the soccer pitch.

That personal drive easily is evidenced by any given all-out sprint on a rush downfield for the St. Charles East senior forward.

Brockmeyer’s 20 goals, six assists and DuKane Conference Player of the Year recognition are all byproducts of his buy-in and dedication.

For his accomplishments, Brockmeyer is the 2022 Kane County Chronicle Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

“I know with my tools I can accomplish a lot and do a lot that other players can’t,” Brockmeyer said. “If I don’t get to use those fully in a game, afterward I’m going to be disappointed about it. That feeling, it doesn’t feel good to have, you know? If I can do anything to avoid that, I’m going to work as hard as I can to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

Donning a Saints jersey held a solid amount of weight, too.

“Representing the school, it really kept me motivated to do everything I could to basically help the team,” Brockmeyer said. “I knew I’m representing the school and people are going to talk to me about it the next day if we do bad or whatever.”

St. Charles East Senior Mason Brockmeyer is the Kane County Chronicle boys soccer player of the year.

Brockmeyer was a key cog for a St. Charles East team that made it to a Class 3A regional final, posted a 17-3-4 record and won its second consecutive DuKane Conference championship.

“The guys around me, I think they motivated me,” Brockmeyer said. “The environment we had as a team, it was real focused. We knew our goals. We knew what we had to do. Just to be part of a team where everyone is supportive of each other makes you want to win as a team, not just [as a] player yourself.

“I really wanted to do everything I could – leave everything on the field – when I stepped on it because I knew it wasn’t only for my personal game, it was also for my team, so I knew I needed to work as hard as I could every single time.”

St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo observed a perseverance and dedication by Brockmeyer to improve his craft.

Brockmeyer dealt with a midsection injury in the summer that forced him to be shut down for a couple of weeks before the season. Brockmeyer went through the tryout process four days after the original date.

“It just kind of bugged him throughout, but he had a sense of maturity,” DiNuzzo said. “He was taking care of himself. Before training sessions, he was with the trainer getting treatment. He’s managing it. He’s communicating openly about where he’s at. He was able to play in every single match that we had for the most part without coming off as much as we wanted him to come off.

Geneva's Nicolas Plata (16) and Nathan Branstad (10) get the ball away from St. Charles East's Mason Brockmeyer (20) during the Class 3A Addison Trail Sectional semifinal Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021.

“I would just say his growth, his ability to become a senior that we lean on and our younger guys were able to look up to [was impressive].”

Brockmeyer, who worked alongside two-time Kane County Chronicle Player of the Year Sebastian Carranza for a few seasons, blossomed into his own type of player.

“He’ll be the first one to tell you this: He’s not as technical as I think he wants to be, so his ability beneath the defensive line to create on the ball is something he really put a focus on,” DiNuzzo said. “As little as he did behind the defensive line [before], he did much more this year in terms of play, being able to receive on the first touch than he did last year. I think that allowed him to go, I think he went from 11 goals to 20.

“What sets him apart from his peers is his burst, his speed, his quickness and athleticism. His vertical, it’s outrageous. He’s just that kind of athlete, so that athleticism is what allowed him to have that kind of success at our level.”