There was a time early in his arena football career that L.J. Castile would go up to catch a pass and challenge the wall — also known as the ninth defender — without hesitation. Now, as a 34-year-old veteran player, he knows better.

Call it a business decision.

“The wall is undefeated,” said Castile.

Castile has seen the business side of football since he started playing the sport in La Marque, Texas, as a 4-year old, and all the way through his most recent stop in Central Oregon to play for the High Desert Storm.

He was done playing football when Storm coach Keith Evans asked him to join a team he was coaching in Wenatchee in 2019.

“Keith called me and said he was coaching in Wenatchee and asked if I would come out of retirement and I said sure,” said Castile. “I was chasing my business going from state to state in the pursuit of happiness.”

COVID-19 put an end to the league season in 2020. Then Evans accepted the head coaching job with the American West Football Conference’s new team in Central Oregon. The first player signed was Castile.

“He is just an experienced receiver that knows the indoor arena game that can share some knowledge with these younger receivers that have never played the arena game,” said Evans. “He has played at a high level.”

As a grade schooler through high school football, he got a taste of how serious the game of football is — especially in Texas. On Friday nights his town shut down for high school football games. Castile was rarely asked whether he had fun or not during the game, but rather if he won or lost.

“It felt like the NFL,” he said. “Everyone expects us to win in Texas. That is their bragging rights, that is what they live for, that is their religion. I had more pressure playing in high school than I did in the NFL or in arena.”

But Castile shined on the gridiron as a quarterback in high school and by the time he graduated had become one of the best players in a state that is a hotbed for college football talent. The University of Houston, a 40-minute drive from his hometown, coached by Art Briles, came calling.

Also a gifted basketball player, he had the opportunity to play both football and basketball for the Cougars. Briles was not on board with his freshman quarterback playing basketball in the offseason. Football was the better business decision.

Then Briles left Houston to take a job at Baylor and was replaced by Kevin Sumlin. One of the first things Sumlin did was name Case Keenum — who is still collecting paychecks in the NFL — as the starting quarterback.

That decision forced Castile to switch to receiver.

It was a move he was not a fan of initially, but playing in an offensive scheme designed to throw the ball all over the field, made the move a little easier, Castile said.

“Moving to receiver was pretty tough at the beginning because of my mindset. I didn’t want to do it,” said Castile. “But as I got going, I figured out it was an advantage. I could have competed at the time but it was a business decision by my coaches. It wasn’t asked for, but it was professional.”

At Houston, Castile caught 16 touchdown passes during his career.

After a final college season at Delta State, helping the Statesmen win a Division-II national title in 2010, he went undrafted by the NFL. But he spent time with the Cleveland Browns in training camp as a free agent, realizing his life-long dream of making it to the highest league in professional football.

Now, in his 10th year playing football professionally, he and the High Desert Storm are chasing a league championship.

“You are doing something that many people will never have the chance to do,” he said. “You are living your dream.”