Even a huge banner in the Moretz Field end zone that cheerfully proclaimed, “Happy Birthday, Chris Kotish,” couldn’t make him smile.

Kotish hadn’t taken the field to play the nationally-ranked Tribe close, he had gone out there to win. And Kotish had played with the same ferocious intensity he displayed when he was a 200-pound fullback at South Rowan High four years ago.

Kotish had six tackles against Catawba, raising his total for the season to 61. That’s the third highest total on the team. Not bad for someone who was struggling to find playing time as a fullback just two years ago. That’s when Kotish went to his coaches and asked if they’d let him bulk up and play defense.

They said why not, and Kotish has become better than they ever dreamed. Some of his stops on Saturday — like a diving takedown of Tribe quarterback Mitch Ellis in the open field — were pretty impressive.

“That Kotish, we couldn’t get outside him. Danged if he didn’t play hard today,” Catawba coach David Bennett told Lenoir-Rhyne coach Bill Hart after their hearts had finally stopped thumping 20 minutes after the game.

“That Kotish,” replied Hart, “plays that hard every day.”

Kotish shrugged off the praise, however.

“What I did individually didn’t matter much,” he said. “Our goal today was to put Catawba out of the playoffs, and we didn’t do it. This rivalry is huge. We wanted this game bad. A lot was riding on it for us, too.”

What Bennett and Catawba had riding on the game was obvious. A trip to the Division IIplayoffs.

What L-R had riding on it was just as important in Kotish’s mind — a winning season and an undefeated 1999 “in the bricks” at Moretz Stadium.

“The last few years were tough,” Kotish said. “I mean, we won three games here in my first three years in the program.”

But Kotish and his teammates bettered that miserable total through the first four weeks of this season. On Sept. 25, the Bears were 4-0 and on top of the world after shocking Presbyterian.

But running back Tony Pope, who was rushing for better than 150 yards per game, was suspended, and the Bears’ fairy tale season slowly drifted back to reality. L-R lost three games it could have won and instead of being 8-2 and breathing down the back of Catawba, it took the field Saturday at 5-5 and in position only to ruin its rival.

“But we couldn’t do it to them,” said Kotish. “They were too good. Catawba’s a physical team that fights you for 60 minutes. They definitely deserve to go to the playoffs.”

Still, a 5-6 season was a distinct improvement for Kotish over the painful 1-9, 0-10 and 2-9 campaigns.

“Just to finally win a little was fun,” Kotish admitted.

Defensive ends Kotish and John Milem (West Rowan High) were a huge part of the L-R turnaround. So was another South Rowan product, junior left guard Lee Daugherty.

Daugherty and his linemates enabled L-R to run the ball effectively against Catawba on Saturday, a possibility no sane person had even considered. The Tribe, as you’ve no doubt heard, is ranked No. 1 in all of Division II in defending against the run.

“They lined up and ran for 104 yards,” said Bennett. “Give them credit. They got after us.”

When L-R scored its only TD — early in the third quarter — it was on a 30-yard power push that was entirely on the ground. A backup QB handed off to a backup tailback, and the line blocked like crazy.

That trip to the end zone was satisfying for the 260-pound Daugherty, who traded grunts and shoves every step of the way with Catawba stars DeVonte Peterson, Radell Lockhart and Derrick Montgomery. The rest of the game, however, was not.

“We knew coming in Catawba was a real good team with a great defense,” said Daugherty. “That’s what it takes. It’s like they say: Offense sells tickets; defense wins championships.”

Daugherty stood outside the Bear locker room long after the game chatting with yet another former South Rowan player, Jason Cross, the Catawba linebacker, who is one of the bricks in that frightening defensive wall.

Daugherty was almost smiling, so the fact that his buddy, Cross, was advancing to the playoffs was serving to take away some of Saturday’s sting.

Kotish, too, had his mind on Cross when he finally left the field and trudged toward the locker room.