Two of the most thrilling postseason victories in school history couldn’t generate enough momentum to land the undefeated Westlake High football team an invitation to the CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games this weekend at Home Depot Center.

The CIF-Southern Section Northern Division champion Warriors (14-0), one of 14 Southern California candidates eligible for the state’s Division II contest, were bypassed in favor of Pac-5 Division winner Servite of Anaheim (13-1).

Servite, the top-ranked team in the state according to MaxPreps.com, faces Northern California representative Rocklin (14-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday.

“The team that was selected to be the representative in our division is very deserving,” Warrior head coach Jim Benkert said. “They played a very tough schedule.

“If another team had received that game that wasn’t as deserving, I may have a different opinion. But Servite played a more difficult schedule than we did, and they are very deserving in Division II.”

Teams must win a section title to be eligible for one of five state bowl games. Pairings in all but the Open Division are determined by school enrollment. In Division II, enrollments range from 1,101 to 2,399 students.

At No. 4 in the state, Westlake is the highest-ranked team featured in the MaxPreps rankings not to receive a state bowl bid— Edison (No.2) and Mission Viejo (No. 3) are listed higher than the Warriors but both lost to Servite in the tough Pac-5 playoffs.

According to a press release issued by the CIF, the selection committee, comprising 10 section commissioners, used “win-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition and common opponents” as guidelines during the process.

The CIF also stated that “various rankings and media reports also were used as informational sources. . . . Margin of victory or anticipated fan support were not factors in team selection.”

Benkert said the season-ending collarbone injury suffered by WHS starting quarterback Nick Isham in the Northern Division final against Moorpark shouldn’t have factored into the decision.

Despite the snub, Benkert said his team had nothing to be disappointed about.

“We ended the season on a high note, and I don’t think anything could compare to what we experienced during the last two weeks for our football program,” the coach said.

The state bowl games begin Friday at 4 p.m. when Modesto Christian (14-0) faces San Diego’s Francis Parker (12-1) in the Small Schools Division.

That game will be followed by a Division I showdown at 8 p.m. pitting Bellarmine Prep of San Jose (11-1-1) against Oceanside (13-0).

On Saturday at noon, Marin Catholic of Kentfield (13-1) battles Serra of Gardena (14-0) for the Division III flag. Serra upset Oaks Christian 42-41 in an overtime classic during last weekend’s CIF-SS Northwest Division championship.

For Saturday night’s main event, the Open Division contest features Los Angeles Crenshaw (14-0) against Concord De La Salle (12-2). Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. All games are being televised by FSN Prime Ticket.