4 TD Passes Give Carson a Victory : Watts Games: The 25-6 win was welcome after the Colts’ disappointing 1991 season.

With quarterback Jamie Sander directing the offense, Carson High experienced what can best be described as an up-and-down 1991 football season.

As a junior, Sander was the South Bay’s fourth-leading passer, throwing for 1,912 yards and 13 touchdowns. But he was also intercepted 19 times and relinquished six fumbles.

Such play, coupled with the missteps of a new coaching staff charged with replacing a legend, led to a 6-5-1 season for the Colts--their worst finish since 1965, when the school was in its third year of existence. Moreover, Carson failed to reach the City championship game for the first time in 11 years.

But if Saturday’s performance is any indication, the Colts are on their way to recovery in 1992.

Sander threw four touchdown passes as Carson rolled to a 25-6 victory over Chatsworth in the second round of the 25th annual Los Angeles Watts Summers Games at Compton College. Carson, which received a first-round bye, will play Jefferson at 1 p.m. today at Compton.

Sander said he knows people will be monitoring his 1992 season.

“I do feel some pressure to have a good season after last year,” the 6-1, 180-pound senior said. “I’d like to show everybody what I can do.”

Nonplussed by a sluggish first half and several dropped balls, Sander went on to complete 15 of 29 for 281 yards. He threw one interception and hit four receivers with touchdown passes.

More important, he was clearly in charge of the offense.

“I think he felt more pressure last year,” Carson Coach Marty Blankenship said. “But already this year I’ve seen him come together and take on more of a leadership role. His own up-and-down year seems to have given him confidence for this year.”

Blankenship and defensive coordinator Jim D’Amore shared head coaching duties in 1991, taking over for 28-year coach Gene Vollngogle. D’Amore decided against returning to the football staff this season, but will coach track and teach physical education.

“I didn’t care for some of the things going on in terms of lack of funding and so forth,” D’Amore said. “And there were other problems in coaching philosophies.

“As an assistant under Gene Vollngogle, we were player-oriented and tried to be one-on-one with the kids; Gene was also very concerned with the teaching aspect of football.

“The new head coach now spends a lot of his personal time on fund-raising and trying to make money for new equipment and uniforms and such, and I just wasn’t used to it; I was more used to making do with what we had.

“After a while, I knew I had to step aside and give Marty the chance to do it on his own.”

Blankenship says being involved in off-field activities such as barbecues, candy sales and fund drives is not by choice.

“Our budget is being cut all the time, and we have had to step up our fund-raising efforts,” he said. “It would be easier if the coach didn’t have to get involved with that stuff and could concentrate solely on coaching, but those days seem to have passed.

“I do what I have to do. They’re my boys and I have to do with I think is best for them. That’s my job.”

Blankenship was pleased with what he saw Saturday. Both teams scored on their first possessions, then Carson took control of the game.

Sander started the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Damin Hurst to give Carson a 7-6 halftime lead.

Early in the second half, he hit Sergio Diaz with a 40-yard score, then connected with Shadeed Muhammad and James Pepe on 23- and 28-yard touchdown passes.

Pepe (72 yards) and Muhammad (62) caught four passes each, and Diaz had three receptions for 74 yards.

Pa’a Pepe returned two interceptions for 45 yards, and starting safety Dion Brumfield picked off one pass.

Already, Sander has detected a turn for the better.

“It felt good being out there again,” he said. “We didn’t come out all that pumped up, but we were all right once we got on the field.

“I liked what we did.”

In boys’ basketball, second-seeded Morningside defeated John Glenn, 84-38, and will play Jefferson at 9 a.m. today at Compton College.

By beating Westminster, 61-37, 12th-seeded Serra moves on to face Norwalk at 11 a.m. today at Fremont. Inglewood, the No. 15 seed, edged Chadwick, 48-47, and faces Yucaipa this morning at 11 o’clock at Compton.

South Torrance, 25th-seeded, beat Upland, 40-28, and plays Hollywood at 10 a.m. today at Jordan.

Defending champion Westchester beat Hawthorne, 68-42, and will play Locke at 9 a.m. today at Jordan.

Redondo and North Torrance triumphed in girls’ basketball competition and will meet at 10 a.m. today at Locke. The winner of that game will face Peninsula at 1 p.m.

Inglewood and Torrance also won and will play at 9 a.m. South Torrance plays Bishop Montgomery in a 2 p.m. game at Washington.

More than 12,000 athletes from 14 events are participating in the 25th annual L.A. Watts Summer Games. The championship rounds are next weekend.