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The junior quarterback stunned his mother, Ashley, by reeling off math equations in the first grade.

He never hesitated in whipping out the correct answers to difficult multiplication problems on flash cards in the basement of the family home in Cedar Hill.

"I knew right then he was gifted," Ashley recalled. "So smart. He was just brilliant."

The ability to solve equations was just the beginning of Cohenn's love affair with numbers.

"I've always been big on statistics," Cohenn says. "Things like that just fascinate me."

Stark continues to enjoy displaying his math wizardry.

But now those numbers are a bit more personal.

Stark is the ringleader of a Lions' offense that has amassed an area-best 118 points over the first two weeks of the campaign.

Northwest began the season with a 56-6 win over Sullivan before downing Mehlville 62-24 last week.

The high-powered attack has racked up 1,078 yards on 97 plays聽鈥� and average of 11.1 yards per snap.

Stark came up with that number in the blink of an eye.

"Doesn't surprise me at all," said junior teammate Kaleb Belcher, a running back and friends with Stark since grade school. "He's always been like that."

The 5-foot-10 signal caller, and Belcher, both have spent part of their academic careers in a program designed for brilliant students.

Stark has recorded only one non-"A" grade his entire life, a B in honors English.

"My mom and dad (Ryan) have always been super big on you're not going anywhere unless your academics are in the right spot," Cohenn said. "Even if you're good in athletics but slacking off in school, people aren't going to think highly of you."

Stark is riding high athletically and academically right now.

He has come into his own at the quarterback spot after splitting time last season.

"He's always been a dynamic runner, but he's worked on other parts of his passing game," Northwest coach Scott Gerling said. "He's really upped his game in every way."

Stark hit on 41 or 89 passes last season for 849 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

He did most of his damage on the ground with 863 yards and nine scores. His average of 7.5 yards per rush was tops on the team.

Stark began the season by rushing for 271 yards and four scores against Sullivan. He followed that up with a 186-yard effort against Mehlville.

His season total of 457 rushing yards leads the area. He also leads the area in scoring with 48 points.

Also, Stark has connected on 14 of 17 passes for 176 yards and one TD.

The Lions have not had to throw the ball much. A running clock was implemented in the third quarter of both games.

Yet the need to go to the air might come in handy this week in a huge test Friday at rival , which has won the last four meetings between the schools.

Stark worked diligently on his passing skills over the summer and is anxious for the first big test.

"I think I had the reputation as a running quarterback," Stark said. "I've been working to change that."

Stark's high-level of intelligence enabled him to excel at a new sport he took up two-plus years ago. He tried throwing the javelin as a freshman for the first time and immediately got hooked. He set a school record with a toss 53.88 meters last year.

That rapid progression has already brought some attention from colleges, and he might have a choice to make down the road.

For now, he has his sights set on the state javelin record of 64.60 and will have two seasons to achieve that goal.

It is a good bet he will take a run at the record in the most intellectual way possible.

"Throwing the javelin is new to me, and I've still got a lot more to learn," Stark said. "That's what makes it so fun."

Stark is also a two-time state qualifier on the wrestling mat.

But football and track are his favorite sports.

The Lions posted a 5-5 mark last season after losing 18 of 19 games over the previous two seasons.

And Stark is set to play a key role in the improvement.

"A few years ago, when we were freshmen, we said that this was going to be our year,"聽 Stark said. "It's time to go out and make that happen."聽 聽聽