PIAA referee Art Monteleone (left) receives congratulations form Moniteau head football coach Bob Rottman. Monteleone was honored at Moniteau High School Saturday for his 50 years serving as a basketball and football official. The district threw a surprise ceremony prior to a girls basketball game.

CHERRY TWP — Fifty years of football and basketball officiating and counting.

Art Monteleone is showing no signs of slowing down.

Moniteau High School coaches and administrators forced him to at least stop and smell the roses for a while on Feb. 20. The school honored Monteleone, 77, of Butler, with a surprise ceremony prior to the Warriors' girls basketball game against Cranberry.

“I thought the game was at 1 this afternoon,” Monteleone said. “I come out and walked into this. They got me.”

The game actually was at 2 p.m. Monteleone worked the contest with fellow veteran officials Ray Melder and Mark Farabee. Melder is president of the Butler chapter of PIAA officials.

There were approximately 15 fellow officials — along with Monteleone family members and friends — in the stands viewing the ceremony. Moniteau's girls basketball team looked on as well.

Read more in Monday's Butler Eagle.