Jack Abraham threw three touchdown passes, Hiram Wadlington ran for a pair, and Oxford clinched a berth in the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs with a 53-13 win over Clarksdale on Friday at Bobby Holcomb Field.

Davion Hill gave Clarksdale (6-4, 3-2 Region 1-5A) a 7-3 lead on a 15-yard touchdown run with 5:09 left in the first quarter, but the Chargers (7-2, 5-0) scored 43 unanswered points to take control. Oxford scored on all six of its first-half possessions, including two that lasted just one play thanks to a pair of blocked punts that set the Chargers up inside Clarksdale’s 10-yard line each time.

Wadlington, who finished with 64 yards on 13 carries, scored on runs of 8 and 23 yards while receiver D.K. Metcalf ran in from 7 yards to give Oxford a 32-7 lead at the break.

Abraham went 12 of 18 for 258 yards and threw his final touchdown pass to tight end Zach Cousar for a 4-yard score to push the Chargers’ lead to 46-7 midway through the third quarter, allowing Oxford to empty its bench. Josh Patton ripped off a 61-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter as the Chargers tallied 209 yards on the ground.

Abraham also threw touchdown passes of 26 and 59 yards to Jimmy Greaser, whose 85 yards led all receivers.

The Chargers limited Clarksdale to 300 total yards with just 97 of them coming after halftime. Hill ran for both of Clarksdale’s touchdowns and had 56 of his yards on the Wildcats’ opening drive, but he was held to 57 yards the rest of the way.

See Sunday’s edition of the EAGLE for more from Friday’s game.