IslandSavai Le'i Felix Joyner interview on four Ballerettes rings

The IslandSavai Le'i Felix Joyner interview for MILLIONS covered a Carson High Division One City Section championship, four rings with the Ballerettes and Le'i's ambition to play for the LA Legends. She also told Joyner she would like to compete in Olympic flag football, while explaining why enjoying the sport matters to her.

How did IslandSavai Le'i start playing flag football at Carson High?

IslandSavai Le'i began playing organized flag football in her sophomore year at Carson High, after hearing that the school had announced the sport. Before that, she played with her brother and friends in her neighborhood and took part in drill team and color guard because she had not had a sport she could play.

Le'i was in color guard when the flag football opportunity came up. She joined because it gave her a chance to play a sport she already loved and, as she put it, to be herself on the field.

The team became important beyond the games. She described teammates leaving as seniors graduated and new players arriving, with each season bringing new bonds. For Le'i, belonging to a team and a family has been one of flag football's biggest rewards, alongside the discipline and skills she has developed.

What did IslandSavai Le'i say about her Carson High and Ballerettes championships?

IslandSavai Le'i said she has played at Carson High for three years and that the team won a Division One City Section championship the previous season. She also said she joined the Ballerettes last season, won more than seven championships with the travel team and earned four rings.

The Carson High championship

Le'i described the championship as an achievement for her previous Carson High team. With a new school season underway, she said the current group was doing well and continuing to build together despite the roster changes that come with graduating players.

Four rings with the Ballerettes

Her Ballerettes experience added another set of team successes: more than seven championships by her account, with four rings for her. Those results have not changed how she describes her priorities. She wants to keep playing with commitment, stay on top of her education and move past difficult days when it is time to take the field.

How does IslandSavai Le'i play tight end and approach difficult catches?

IslandSavai Le'i said tight end is her main flag football position, although she can also play center or blocker. On difficult catches, she trusts the strength of her hands and concentrates on helping her team. She did not identify a particular opponent when Joyner asked about an end-zone catch he remembered.

Joyner described a play in which Le'i caught a ball in the end zone with a defender in front of her. She said she had made a few catches like that, which made it hard to tell which game he meant. Her answer focused less on the individual highlight than on knowing what she can do for her teammates.

That approach carries into her ambitions for the season. Le'i said she looks forward to every game, in part because she wants to see how she responds as the season progresses. She described her team as playing well and continuing to push forward.

What are IslandSavai Le'i's goals for the LA Legends and Olympic Games?

IslandSavai Le'i wants to attend college, play for the LA Legends and continue with the Ballerettes and Team Iinga before she graduates. She also hopes Carson High can win another championship, this time in the open division, and said she would like to take part in Olympic flag football.

College, club teams and another Carson High title

Le'i named education alongside her playing plans rather than treating it as separate from them. She wants to finish the Carson High season strongly while continuing with her travel teams. Asked about games ahead, she did not pick one fixture: she said she was eager to play them all.

Olympic flag football and women's opportunities

When Joyner raised the 2028 Olympic Games, Le'i said she would like to join. She sees women's flag football growing and believes that greater visibility will draw more people to it. She also values the possibility of being a role model for players who enter the sport later.

Le'i said she does not feel extra pressure to perform because she is a woman playing football. Her answer was rooted in confidence about what she can show on the field. Her larger goal is to keep loving the sport: she believes losing that enjoyment would affect how she plays.

What did IslandSavai Le'i say about defense and potential sponsors?

IslandSavai Le'i said she does not usually play defense, though she has played rusher and enjoyed putting pressure on the passer. On the business side, she did not name a preferred sponsor. She said she would value an opportunity from a supporter who accepts who she is and who she is becoming.

Playing rusher and communicating on defense

Her occasional work as a rusher gave her a different view of the game. Le'i said she enjoyed making passers reluctant to throw, but thought her aggressive approach might draw holding calls if she played defense regularly.

Asked for defensive advice, she stressed awareness of the player being covered rather than watching only the quarterback. The right positioning depends on whether the coverage is zone or man, she said, and teammates need to communicate.

What she wants from a sponsor

Le'i said she would be grateful for an opportunity to work with any sponsor, provided the support was genuine. She framed her choice around not taking an opportunity for granted and finding people who support her development, rather than around a particular brand.

What did IslandSavai Le'i say about Narbonne, Banning and her game routine?

IslandSavai Le'i singled out games against Narbonne and Banning as favorites because of how Carson High played together. Away from those matchups, she said math is her favorite school subject, and she takes two Gatorade drinks to every game: a blue one and a mix involving fruit punch.

The Narbonne and Banning games

Against Banning, Le'i particularly valued the team's work together and its win. She remembered a rough start against Narbonne before the team raised its energy in the second quarter and second half. She said she felt unstoppable in that game, but did not give a score for either matchup.

Math and her game-day drinks

Le'i likes math because she enjoys solving problems. She said history is manageable for her, while English is not a favorite. When asked what she has before games, she described bringing two Gatorade drinks each time, including blue Gatorade and a fruit-punch-and-blue mix; she did not name a regular pregame food.

What advice did IslandSavai Le'i give new flag football players?

IslandSavai Le'i advised new players to watch a game first, decide whether they truly want to commit and keep learning even when they are not yet getting playing time. She also urged players to have fun, communicate and build a team in which teammates support one another.

For someone considering the sport, Le'i suggested seeing a game before joining. She wants prospective players to understand the commitment rather than leave after a game or midway through one. Not getting onto the field immediately does not mean a player has stopped learning, she said.

Le'i summed up her view of readiness with her most direct advice to young players:

you can't get expected to be in a game if you don't know what you're doing.

Enjoyment is just as important to her as preparation. Le'i warned that becoming too serious can make it harder to play freely. Her final message was to share support throughout a game, communicate and make the team a sisterhood whose members are there for each other.