At 5-foot-8, 145 pounds, T.C. Hull is hardly a chiseled hulk, but he’s nonetheless much sturdier than he was last year as a scrawny sophomore.

“As a sophomore, sometimes I was a little intimidated by going at some of the bigger defenders,” Hull said. “This year, I thought I could go at anybody, and beat anybody in the whole state.”

Hull’s season backed up that bravado. Despite a slow start to the fall while mending an ankle injury, the St. Charles East junior forward piled high 31 goals as the Saints enjoyed a monster season. Hull, the area’s leading scorer, is the Kane County Chronicle Boys Soccer Player of the Year.