Some days just happen in this business.

I’m talking about days that make me realize what a thrill it can be reporting on sports for a living.

One of those days occurred just last Saturday.

My first stop was Moniteau High School, where that school’s coaches and administrators had set up a surprise pre-game ceremony honoring longtime high school football and basketball official Art Monteleone.

Monteleone, 77, is in his 50th year of officiating high school sports. He’s worked many Moniteau games over the years.

Athletic director John Stoughton was master of ceremonies. Many of Monteleone’s officiating peers were on hand and Warrior football and basketball coaches presented him with mementos commemorating his career.

For years, I’ve seen the men and women in striped shirts being screamed at by coaches and people in the stands. It’s a tough business when you know whatever call you make, one side isn’t going to like it.

Seeing a guy like Monteleone — so dedicated to his craft for so long — being recognized and appreciated for that was such a welcome sight.

Classy move, Moniteau.

Very well done and very much worth witnessing.

The latter portion of my afternoon was spent in the Butler High gym, watching boys basketball rivals Butler and Pine-Richland go at it.

Not only was I able to view an overtime epic — won by Butler after the Golden Tornado trailed by 10 in the first half — I was able to see Devin Carney score a career-high 47 points. The kid found the bucket every way possible — a slam dunk, layups, hitting all 14 of his free throws, pull-up jumpers, three treys.

Carney put on a scoring clinic. It’s hard to believe he’s only a junior.

Then there’s Mattix Clement.

Spending his high school basketball career playing with a 2,100-point scorer in Ethan Morton and Carney, who will likely hit 2,000 points himself, Mattix managed to reach 1,000 points in his own right.

He’s always been a supportive teammate, on the bench, on the court and in the scoring column.

When he scored his 1,000th point, he didn’t know he was even in the running for it. That’s the kind of kid he is.

He cares about the scoreboard, not the scorebook.

I remember watching Mattix as a freshman. Here’s this little kid coming off the bench, anchoring down on his sweet spot and draining 3-pointers.

What an effective novelty.

To watch him develop into the complete player and leader he is today has been fun. Mattix Clement is a testament to what hard work and effort can do for an athlete.

And last Saturday is a testament to why I’ve stayed in this business as long as I have.

That wasn’t work to me.

It was a privilege.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle