Friday nights are generally a big event around any community, especially during the fall and winter with high school football and basketball in high gear. Fridays tend to be a little more laid back in the summer, though.

But Ashtabula will be hopping tonight with two big events saluting high school athletes present and past. Both events will prominently feature University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer, a 1982 St. John High School graduate.

Always known as a hustling player when he played baseball for Bill Schmidt and football for Paul Kopko at St. John, Meyer’s gift for hustle will be tested. First, he is scheduled as the keynote speaker at the ESPN 970AM WFUN Scholar-Athlete Recognition Banquet at Lakeside High School, which runs from approximately 5-7 p.m.

He has also been designated the chief roaster for Schmidt at SS. John and Paul’s recognition of the coach and his 1983 Class A state championship team from 6-9:30 p.m. at Mount Carmel Community Center. That event, sponsored by the SJP athletic department, has been subtitled An Evening with Urban Meyer.

Tickets for both events are still available. For $25 per person or $200 for a table of eight, tickets to the Scholar-Athlete Recognition are still available at the radio station at 3226 Jefferson Road, Plymouth Township or online at espn970wfun.com, according to Joe Pete, the station’s sports director.

“We’ve sold over 300 tickets,” Pete said. “We’re hoping to have a lot more people coming to the banquet.”

Tickets for the SJP fete are $50 for adults and $25 for students. They are available at the Crow’s Nest Restaurant, Hoffman’s Pharmacy, SS. John and Paul High School or by calling Schmidt at 992-8966. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door. Admission entitles the ticket holder to an autographed picture of Meyer and a prime rib dinner.

Meyer is not the only feature attraction in either instance, however. All but one of the 17 players from the 1983 state title team is expected to attend the evening at Mount Carmel, which has Schmidt excited.

“The one that’s coming the farthest is Jim Sheldon, who’ll be in from California,” he said. “We’ve had a pretty good response to the whole thing. We figured it out and about 60 percent of the players I coached are planning to be there.”

Also expected to speak to the honorees at the event at Lakeside is new Eastern Kentucky University head football coach Dean Hood, a 1982 Harbor graduate.

“Dean is going to speak for about three-five minutes about the importance of academics and being a good person,” Pete said. “Urban’s speech will probably be about 15-20 minutes on the same subjects.”

The real attraction of the night at the Scholar-Athlete Recognition is the 44 applicants for five $1,000 scholarships that will be handed out by the radio station. Also, 10 county scholar-athletes who were chosen Dr. William A. Seeds Athletes of the Year will be presented their $500 scholarships early in the evening’s festivities.

“I can’t tell you how difficult it was to choose the winners of those scholarships,” Pete said. “There are so many great kids from our county who have done such a fantastic job in their sports, in their academics and in their community service. I wish we had more money to give out, and we’re not done yet. I think this is going to be a tremendous event.

“All 44 applicants have been invited to attend the banquet and will be seated at the front of the crowd at the banquet. They’ll all be receiving plaques. We want to thank Rob Rich (proprietor of PlayAll Awards and Engraving) and Phil Garcia (of Phil’s Catering) for helping us out with the banquet.”

The 1983 Heralds baseball team will also receive plenty of special recognition.

“Each one of them is getting an autographed photo of the team and a hat like we wore that year,” Schmidt said. “We also going to be selling shirts from that, along with Green Weinie shirts (the Heralds’ good luck charm of that era).”

There will be plenty of attractions for the entire crowd at the SJP event. A silent auction will be held, with all proceeds going to the SJP athletic department.

Among the items to be auctioned off will be an autographed University of Florida mini-helmet, an autographed baseball with the signatures of 2007 Cy Young Award winners C.C. Sabathia of the Indians and Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres, a bat and ball autographed by the members of the 1983 St. John team, a 1979 autographed Sporting News cover featuring Pete Rose, two sets of Indians tickets and a pair tickets to this year’s Ohio University-Ohio State football game on Sept. 6.

The Schmidt roast should be an interesting affair.

“There will be 12 roasters, with Urban starting off and with me as the roastee,” Schmidt said. “I have some rebuttal time. Urban is going to finish up and I get a chance to talk about what St. John has meant to us. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Meyer, Hood and Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman will also be on the receiving end of the event at Lakeside. They will be the first persons inducted into the ESPN 970AM WFUN Hall of Fame.

“Urban and Dean will obviously be there to accept,” Pete said. “Jim won’t be able to be there because he is on vacation, but (former Lakeside head football coach) Jay Corlew will be there to accept for him and will be reading a letter Jim is sending along.”

Pete and his colleagues have already planted a seed for 2009 that they hope comes to fruition.

“We’ve already invited (Ohio State head football coach) Jim Tressel and Coach Bollman to be our keynote speakers next year,” he said.

The radio station will be providing blanket coverage of the event, starting with Pete’s Sports Report, which will be on the air from Lakeside at 4 p.m. Highlights of the banquet itself will also be broadcast during the evening.

Tonight’s festivities are not the end of the celebration for the St. John contingent. The party will continue for most of the honorees Saturday.

“We’re having a barbecue over at the school starting at 2 o’clock Saturday and lasting until whenever,” Schmidt said. “We think that’s going to be a good time, too.”