In two weeks Napa High will be graduating,

perhaps, its best-ever crop of female athletes.

The Class of 2008 is the first group of kids I’ve had the pleasure of covering all four years of their high school career. There are two teams in particular that have brought more pleasure to my job.

The Indians’ softball and girls soccer teams have each won back-to-back Monticello Empire League titles and advanced to at least the second round of playoffs in each of those two seasons.

Not to leave out indoor sports studs, Indians middle blocker Lauren DeCelles is heading off to Div. I Davis next fall. In her final high school volleyball season, she led Napa to its first MEL title in 10 years.

The diamond ladies swept the MEL in 2007 and finished fourth in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. With the leadership of veteran seniors Mackenzey Bard, Micayla Smith, Becki Heimbigner and Kalina Calantoc, the Indians shared a league title with Fairfield this year and again pushed forward to the postseason semifinals.

The Napa soccer squad’s fancy feet danced their way to two straight unbeaten MEL seasons and titles. The Indians finished 2007 with a second-round playoff loss to rival Davis, but they avenged that last month with vigor. They continued on and finished third in the section.

Senior standouts Rachel Pickett and Macy Jo Harrison were, again, a large part of Napa’s offensive dominance and defensively, there wasn’t anyone more entertaining to watch than Devin Whitmill.

Each of these teams produced two future Division I stars — something that isn’t as common as you may think.

Softball coach John O’Connor had the pleasure of coaching Bard and Heimbigner for four varsity seasons. Not to say that these girls aren’t obviously naturally gifted ballplayers, but I have no doubt that O’Connor’s influence is a large factor in getting them off to Div. I programs.

Bard will pitch for San Jose State next year on a full-ride athletic scholarship. Heimbigner will play shortstop for the University of Vermont on a combined athletic/academic scholarship.

 I type with no hesitation that O’Connor is the best high school softball coach this valley has ever seen. Justin-Siena made a mistake when they allowed him to leave. And Napa principal Barb Franco made one of her best hires when she persuaded O’Connor to come out of retirement.

If only he would have coached the Indians when I played softball for Napa High — to put it politely, we weren’t exactly a perennial powerhouse.

My teammates and I dreaded spring break’s annual Easter Tournament every single season. We knew we’d face O’Connor and the Braves and be sent packing each time.

Luckily I had some of his players, Maria Warner and Liesel Streich, on my summer ball teams, so their talent rubbed off on me a tad.

Now soccer was a sport I never really played outside of middle school PE.

When I was a kid, the game was played at the same time as basketball, which was when I was still mediocre on the court.

I admit running up and down a 120-yard field for 80 minutes wasn’t exactly appealing either. And I still don’t understand how heading a ball doesn’t hurt.

So I give extra-special credit to Indians coach Dave Todd and his fancy-footed phenoms. Watching Harrison and Whitmill for the past four springs and Pickett for three has been very entertaining.

I first met the four-year standout Harrison when she was a freshman and I interviewed her for a story titled “98 Pounds of Dynamite.”

She was very shy and very quiet, but her enthusiasm for the sport oozed out of the pint-sized star. She’s not nearly as reserved anymore and her passion for soccer is even more evident. Oregon State is lucky to have her.

Pickett is just as fiery as her senior counterpart and was the other half of Napa’s offensive 1-2 punch. She’ll be playing for the Fresno State Bulldogs, rounding out the top players of the spring.

Whitmill is largely responsible for Napa’s 16 shutouts, shared with goalkeeper Kerry McGrath. Whitmill clearly deflected several shots over the course of the season and picked up a few saves from inside the goal as well. She is off to NCAA Division III Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash.

The Indians’ JV soccer and JV softball programs both went 15-0 during MEL action this season, so sports fans have plenty to look forward to in the coming years.

E-mail Sports Writer Erin Lawley at elawley@napanews.com or call her at 256-2212.