Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco sports

BESSEMER – Spring sports were on the agenda for the Bessemer Area Schools Board of Education Monday night. The board hired Alexis Headley to coach the varsity co-op softball program. Bessemer and the neighboring Wakefield-Marenisco school district have run a cooperative program for several seasons. This is the first year that Bessemer will serve as the host school for the program. Superintendent Dan Niemi said the start date for baseball and softball for practice moved back one week to March 22, with the first games scheduled for March 26. Niemi said the district is close to finalizing a co-op agreement with Wakefield-Marenisco for the new eight-man football program. The new agreement is needed after the previous three-district agreement, which included Ironwood, was dissolved earlier this winter. Niemi said he expects the baseball and softball agreements will be modeled after the football program. More in this weeks Wakefield News / Bessemer Pick and Axe.