Middletown — The spotlight found them both Friday night, ironic in the way two such understated high school kids found their moment ... during the most thunderous moments of them all.

And when it was over, the biggest grins belonged to Cadin Maynard and Jared Burrows, both quieter than Sunday morning sometimes, but who loudly earned their spots in Waterford lore and legend before more than 1,000 fans at Palmer Field.

Maynard's RBI single snapped a scoreless tie in the seventh inning to support Burrows' efficient — if not magnificent — pitching to write a familiar headline in this corner of the world:

The Lancers win again.

Fifteenth-seeded Waterford won its state-best 11th state baseball title with a 1-0 win over No. 1 Berlin in the CIAC Class L final, adding to the school's almost inconceivable run of athletic success over the past decade. It was the baseball team's second championship in the last three years.

"As a team, we've overcome so much," Maynard said, alluding to Waterford's nine losses. "But I knew we'd have our moment. It's surreal. I can't put it into words."

Maynard's single up the middle scored Sonny Pezzello, whose bloop double gave Waterford (20-9) its best scoring chance of the game. Pezzello got Waterford's first hit of the night in the fifth off losing pitcher Adam Balinsky.

Waterford coach Art Peluso didn't hesitate to wave Pezzello home on Maynard's single.

"I figured the first team to score would win," Peluso said. "The kid (center fielder Gianni Fanelli) had to make a perfect throw. I'll tell you though. Cadin Maynard — that was big."

Burrows, who became the second member of his family to win a state title game — cousin Michael was the winning pitcher two years ago — needed 82 pitches all night. He struck out 10 and allowed three hits.

"This was just an amazing experience," Burrows said.

Burrows, a junior, struck out Nick Melville to end the game, threw down his glove and joined in the jubilant pile of humanity wearing Lancer blue.

"Jared is one even-keeled kid," Peluso said. "When we got off the bus, he saw the Channel 3 truck here and he just starts doing the newscast like they would. Very dry sense of humor. And man, can that kid pitch."

Turns out that Peluso was prophetic two weeks earlier to the day, hinting that his team just might be playing two weeks later, despite losing the Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament championship game to East Lyme that night. Now the Lancers have another banner to hang on the crowded walls of the Francis X. Sweeney Fieldhouse.

"I'm happy for the kids," Peluso said. "We talk a lot about showing up every day. I do think there were some people who doubted us. But I never doubted them. And they obviously didn't doubt themselves."

m.dimauro@theday.com