When Deven Bollinger remembers the 2018 football season, there are plenty of individual highlights he could point to. The Northwestern junior passed for almost 2,000 yards. He threw for 30 touchdowns and ran for 16. He even caught a touchdown pass in a district playoff game when his team ran its version of the Philly Special.

But individual accomplishments are not Bollinger’s focus. When he thinks back on the season, he remembers his team’s statement win over Notre Dame of Green Pond to start the season. He also thinks about the win over a then-unbeaten Saucon Valley team in Hellertown in the middle of the season. He also smiles when he thinks about bus rides home after road wins or playing corn hole with teammates during breaks at two-a-days.

For this year’s Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Football Player of the Year, the game is all about the team, the family and the W.

“You have to have the team around you,” Bollinger said. “I couldn’t have done it without the line this year and the wide receivers that we had. Along with that comes wins. When you get wins you get recognition along the way.”

A three-year starter, Bollinger has improved each season and this year he posted the stats to prove it.

He threw for 1,998 yards, completing 111-of-202 passes with just three interceptions. He also ran the ball 192 times for 881 yards.

He holds just about every single-game, single-season and career passing record for the Tigers and has a year to add to the lofty numbers. He’s thrown for 5,155 yards while completing 321-of-601 passes (53.4 percent) with 62 TDs during his first three seasons at Northwestern.

The 2018 campaign was clearly his best season and the team’s best season as the Tigers went 8-2 in the regular season and reached the district semifinal game.

“I think the biggest jump was sophomore year to this year,” Bollinger said. “I didn’t have my best year as a sophomore. We had a rough start to that season and it never picked up from there.”

While his numbers were not that impressive in 2017, he was still getting better and learning to be the leader his team needed.

“His sophomore year, everybody said he sort of took a step back,” said Tiger head coach Josh Snyder. “The truth is, he did get better because we didn’t have a ton of great pieces around him. He was viewing the field even though guys maybe weren’t in the best position. He took a few more sacks, but he was going through his reads and guys weren’t where they were supposed to be.

“This past season, he’s wasn’t making the same mistakes as he did before.”

At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Bollinger knows he’s one good season and about 10-20 pounds away from being a Division I FBS recruit. The three-sport athlete is currently playing basketball and will join the baseball team in spring after a one-year hiatus from the sport. He’s in the weight room with the football team every day before basketball practice and he’s on a high-calorie diet to try and pack on some pounds. His coach also wants him to have a heavier voice on the field during his senior year.

“To reach his goals, he’s going to have to be the hardest worker,” said Snyder.“He’s going to have to lead by example. He’s going to have to push his teammates to the limit to the point where maybe they don’t like him.

“All those selfless things are important in terms of giving guys credit, but it’s also really important for him to know, ‘It’s my time. It’s now or never. We worked four years for this thing and now is the time.’”

Bollinger has garnered interest from several Division 1 colleges, and if he has another solid season, it’s just a matter of where within the top level he fits, whether he lands in the Patriot League and the FCS or possibly gets to the FBS level.

His offseason and senior year will help sort that out.

“He played up to his ability as a junior,” said Snyder. “The sky’s the limit for him moving ahead.”

Bollinger will do his best to lead his team next year. He’ll likely put up more lofty numbers and reset many of his own records. But what he wants most next year isn’t another player of the year trophy. He wants some championship hardware.

“We just want to be back on the field practicing and playing games,” Bollinger said. “We have to make sure we stay humble and work hard. In order to get to the place we want to be, we have to work hard every day like we did last season.

“We’re excited for next season, but it doesn’t start yet. Our offseason needs to be harder than last season to get to where we want to be next season, which is hopefully making it a little further in districts and challenge from there.”