Former Acorns Jeff Ulbrich and Ryan Neufeld met on the field of
play for the first time in a decade in Sunday’s 41-7 rout of the
San Francisco 49ers at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
Morgan Hill – While Bay Area sports fans were disappointed in their teams this weekend, Morgan Hill fans at least could have something to smile about.
Former Acorns Jeff Ulbrich and Ryan Neufeld met on the field of play for the first time in a decade in Sunday’s 41-7 rout of the San Francisco 49ers at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
Ulbrich, a defensive linebacker for the 49ers, was in charge of covering his teammate from the 1994 Live Oak football team.
That Live Oak team went to the Central Coast Section championship, where they lost in a thriller to Leland.
For Neufeld, a tight end for the Bills, the game marked the first time he has played at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park as a player. He said he had traveled to the stadium as a youngster to watch the 49ers during their glory days and had always wanted to player there.
The duo only had one opportunity during the game to mix it up, on a pass to Neufeld which fell incomplete.
But before and after the game, Neufeld and Ulbrich met up, reminisced on old times in Morgan Hill and reflected on their very different seasons with the Bills, a playoff contender, and the Niners, the team with the worst record in football.
“It was fun,” Neufeld said. “This is something that doesn’t happen very often.”
Neufeld said he and Ulbrich talked about, among other things, Live Oak’s turnaround this past season and their families.
He said they also shared stories about their children – Ulbrich has two and is expecting a third and Neufeld has a son.
But during the game, Neufeld said, it was all-business for the former teammates.
While Ulbrich dropped back in coverage during most passing plays, Neufeld said he did not think much about it.
The Bills, who have won six straight, are in a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“We came such a long way from Buffalo,” Neufeld said. “It really shows our professionalism to come out and play well.”
