One word to describe Nick Crennan, Chaminade: Champions!

"Fortitude" was the word of the day at Chaminade Saturday, but it was really the word of the season.

The Flyers defeated St. John the Baptist, 48-29, in the CHSFL AA championship game at Mitchel Athletic Complex and running back Jack Tigh was talking about coach Stephen Boyd's inspirational words.

"Every game, Coach Boyd gives us one word and how we define that word," said Tigh, who rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown. "Today it was fortitude."

Boyd said the Flyers (5-7) had shown this all year. "We went through a tough stretch and they stuck together," he said. "They never complained, never pointed the finger, never quit."

Nick Crennan threw two touchdowns and ran for a score and Tyler Toussaint caught five passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

Chaminade got off to a fast start, scoring on all three of its first-half possessions to take a 21-7 lead into halftime, with touchdown runs by Crennan and Patrick Simons, and a catch in the end zone by Toussaint.

The Flyers outgained the Cougars 224 yards to 99 in the first half and did not cool off in the second, as Crennan found Toussaint for a 62-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

SEE PHOTOSCHSFL Class AA final

"Me and Nick have always had a connection," Toussaint said. "I was out wide and right when I turned around, Crennan already had the ball out. It was perfect placement."

"I trust my receivers to go up and make a play," Crennan said. "Have to credit my offensive line, too." The junior and first-year starter was 12-for-18 for 315 yards.

Nikita Fitzgerald responded for St. John the Baptist (5-6), returning the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to make the score 28-14.

Chaminade fumbled on its next drive, but the Cougars could not capitalize and punted back to the Flyers. Tigh scored on the next play on a 34-yard touchdown run.

Fitzgerald answered again with his second kick-return touchdown of the day, taking this one back 70 yards with 3:36 left in the third.

The special-teams exploits were not enough for the Cougars, though, as Theodore Capsis scored a rushing touchdown late in the third quarter and Arthur Natale scored another in the fourth for Chaminade to make it 48-21. Oscar Frisby scored on the ground with 33 seconds left for St. John the Baptist to cap the scoring.

"This is not the ending we wanted, but we showed we're exactly where we belong in the AAA/AA division," first-year Cougars coach Ralph Carusillo said. This year marked the first season St. John the Baptist played a full AAA/AA schedule in over 20 years.

For Chaminade, the ending was perfect, and Boyd can now use a new word to define his team: Champions.