NEW BRAUNFELS — The concept was born at the start of the year, formulated and expanded over months by Canyon High School volleyball coach Heather Sanders and Leroy Hardy, son of an iconic coach and administrator, to make sure it was a proper celebration. “Forever Red” was the theme settled on. It was a hip-sounding, heartstring-pulling message that incorporated Canyon High School’s primary color, traditions and lore.

Yet it’s one thing to put together a slideshow of past accomplishments or to flip through pages of a scrapbook, and another to have the players who laid a program’s foundation and expectations — now in their 80s and getting around with the aid of a walker or a wheelchair — sitting in the bleachers and cheering on the current squad.

The sport has changed over the decades, with athletes now taller, stronger, faster and more athletic, and training more expensive and specialized, but the Cougarettes’ winning pedigree has endured the test of time. They have never had a losing record in their 68-year history.

New Braunfels Canyon started and finished strong and swept Steele 25-22, 25-23, 25-15 on Tuesday at Ben Hardy Gym in one of two pivotal matches in District 27-6A competition. The Cougarettes (25-18, 11-2) remained tied for first place in league play with Pieper (26-15, 11-2), which outlasted Clemens 15-25, 25-20, 15-25, 25-19, 15-12. Steele (26-18, 9-4), which hosts Clemens (23-18, 10-3) on Friday, dropped to fourth place. New Braunfels Canyon closes out the regular season by hosting Judson, while Pieper is at home vs. Wagner.

“It was amazing,” New Braunfels Canyon senior middle blocker Taylor Knuppel, who notched nine kills, a .412 hitting clip and 4 1/2 blocks, said after her team collected its seventh straight win. “Words can’t even explain it. I got a little teary-eyed. Just the fact that people took the time out of their day — the oldest team came out here and wanted to support us — and just proving it to them, it meant everything.”

Tuesday was equal parts past, present and future. The 1960 team, coached by Ben Hardy — the school’s first principal and athletic director and head coach of several sports teams — was honored for being the school’s first to win a district championship in any sport. Donna Boehle, who coached the Cougarettes to the 1983 volleyball state title, made them a regular at the state tournament and helped create the prestigious Fraulein Volleyfest, was also feted. Sanders, who has guided Canyon to five state tournament berths, is ranked third all-time in coaching wins in San Antonio-area history and is retiring after this season, was also lauded.

The occasion brought out a who’s who of volleyball, both near and far. Former Austin Westlake coach Al Bennett, one of the state’s winningest coaches and a mentor to Sanders, was in attendance. So were former Fredericksburg coach Jason Roemer and former standout Canyon players such as Megan Hawkins, Kyla Malone, Courtney Pope, Kylie Trefflich, Alyssa Koehl, sisters Angel and Erin Jones, Megan Isbell, Shelby Williams, Haley Bradfute and Charli Fouts, now an assistant coach at Texas State University.

“I wasn’t expecting this many,” Sanders said of the large number of former players who showed up. “One lady that I met, she came up and introduced herself to me and said, ‘I was the setter on the 1960 team.’ To look at this woman, and to think that (my daughter) Logan plays the same position, it’s really surreal. I feel so honored and humbled to be a part of that. I knew the emotions would be a thing. I knew it would be a long night. I was hoping we would just come out and play.”

The Cougarettes made the plays when it mattered in a contest that both teams fought to sustain momentum. They used late surges in each set to prevail, including a 10-2 run to close the third set.

“I was super proud of them for just staying with it,” Sanders said. “They just kept figuring out a way when they had to have a point.”

The fortitude was spurred by the players who came before them, including those who competed before the UIL sponsored volleyball and when the sport was played during the spring. Nahlia Djibril (eight kills), Lelani Williams (nine kills), Logan Sanders (35 assists) and Addy Young (16 digs) were big contributors.

“I’ve lived in New Braunfels since I was in kindergarten, and you always look up to those high school volleyball girls,” said Canyon senior outside hitter/defensive specialist Piper Hoskins, who had seven kills, a .438 hitting percentage and 11 digs. “You just feel the community all the time. Every day, I just know I’m playing for something so much bigger than myself, and it’s such a blessing to have all these people have something connected with me. That definitely gave a lot of fire to me. I know all the girls thought it was so great that people who have gone to state, and they’ve been district champions (were here). We’re pushing to do the same thing as them, and it’s nice there are so many things you can share with someone that you’ve never met before, but you know they’re always going to be a Cougarette. It’s in their blood. It’s just a cool thing.”

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