Owen J. Roberts Ryan Resnick Pulls off First-Round Stunner, beats Eric Hong to reach Class 3A Quarters

HERSHEY: Ryan Resnick was greeted with hugs from his coaches and fans that made their way down to the edge of the Giant Center floor.

The congratulations, pats on the back and fist bumps continued all the way around the edge of the floor from the Owen J. Roberts and District 1 fans. It was well earned.

Resnick, a one-time state qualifier in his career, entered the first round of the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships as a heavy underdog to North Allegheny’s Eric Hong, a National Prep Champion and runner-up, and Fargo All American.

Resnick’s odds were long, but then again, numbers don’t win matches. The Wildcats senior showed heart, fighting off Hong and hitting two huge duck-under takedowns to land a jaw-dropping 7-3 decision that left coaches and other wrestlers stunned.

“It feels really good, but at the end of the day, there is still a lot of work to do,” Resnick said. “I still have tomorrow. I still have goals I want to achieve.”

“This just tells everyone else in the bracket that I’m not messing around. I feel like I get overlooked sometimes, and that’s OK. It’s 0-0 when you step on the line every single time. I just have to go and do what I prepared to do.”

Resnick wrestled Hong in this year’s Escape the Rock Tournament, dropping a 5-2 decision. But this wasn’t the same wrestler … not even close.

The second the whistle blew, Resnick went aggressive. He secured an early takedown to take a 2-0 lead. Hong escaped to close the gap, but the Wildcats ace kept coming.

Resnick hit a beautiful duck under, earning another two points to take a surprising 4-1 lead to the second two-minute period.

“The last time I wrestled him, I got in my own head a little bit,” Resnick said. “That’s something I’ve been working on all season.”

“This time, I saw the draw and realized that I had to go do what I had to do. Who cares what his name is? Who cares what his accolades are? I have to go out and do my thing, and if I do that, I can beat anyone.”

Apparently.

Hong escaped in the second period to close the gap to 4-2. It was the only points scored in the period, and there were many in the building that figured the Tigers standout was going to pull out the match with a late flurry.

But it was Resnick who was the aggressor. After he escaped off bottom to take a 5-2 lead, he hit another duck under to stun Hong and just about everyone else in the building.

“I looked over our match at Escape the Rock a lot, and the only thing I noticed from that one to this one is that I was attacking,” Resnick said.

“I wasn’t afraid to give up points. I wasn’t afraid to lose. I think if I take that mentality into every match, I can really surprise some people.”

That has already been checked off the list.

But like Resnick said, “I still have goals I want to achieve.” There is no more being overlooked. Not even close.

Resnick is on everyone’s radar. And no doubt his next opponent, Nazareth’s Cade Wilson, is well aware of what Resnick can accomplish.

“It gives me a lot of confidence,” Resnick said of his win. “I kind of knew in the back of my head I had the athleticism and that I worked hard enough to do it.

“But it’s nice to see some of that hard work pay off. I’m excited, and I don’t think I will be sneaking up on anybody.”