Keith Siverling, 65, Cranberry High School's cross country coach for 25 years, died Monday.

His teams won four District 9 cross country championships, including three straight from 2019-21. His first came in 2014.  The Berries also qualified teams for states five other times under Siverling in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2023. 

Siverling also starred in cross country and track for the Berries when he was in  high school.

He was a member of the Berries' 1977 District 10 2A champion two-mile relay that ran a school record 8:19.6., teaming with Steve Etzel, Lloyd Morrison, Craig Ausel on that unit.

Siverling was District 10 runnerup in the 880 in 1978. 

After high school the popular Siverling  made his mark as a soloist for various churches in the Cranberry area. 

Trent Zdarko, the Oil City High School football team's one-time version of "Slash," died Wednesday after a two-year battle with illness.

Zdarko, who hailed from Titusville, attended Venango Christian, but played football and wrestled through the Oil City/VC co-op the two schools had at the time. He was a star in both sports. He was Oil City's last regional champion in wrestling, posting  a 26-7 record at 170 pounds as a senior in 2014, before joining Cranberry in a co-op the ext season.

It was in football that Zdarko gained notoriety as a QB/APB/DL/P. That means he played quarterback and defensive line (a rare combination right there) and handled the punting. As a junior he was second team all-region as an all-purpose back. 

That year, in 2012, in addition to playing defensive tackle, he once threw a 74-yard TD pass to Logan Way off the halfback option.

The next year he started the season at quarterback before giving way to one of the Oilers' best ever -- Jackson McFall -- but finished the season with 821 yards total offense, throwing for 171 against Corry and rushing for 119 on nine carries against Warren. He was first team all-region as a defensive lineman and punter. 

Zdarko had a double lung transplant in May 2024, and according to family, had spent much of the last two years in the hospital.

Added 2.8.26