Daniel Petty

LITTLETON, Colo. — Quinton Sanford never let self-doubt hold him back.

He planned to attend the Air Force Academy and act in a movie alongside Will Smith. He was a member of the Highlands Ranch High School wrestling and cross country teams. Although he was neither the fastest runner nor the strongest wrestler, he didn’t let that trouble him. He did it all while living with autism.

Sanford, a 15-year-old sophomore, died Wednesday after collapsing during a run with the cross country team.

An autopsy was inconclusive about cause of death. Additional test results are expected in seven to nine weeks.

On Monday, hundreds of his high school peers were among the mourners at Pax Christi Catholic Church for his funeral. It was a poignant display of how a young man with a heart bigger than his disability had become one of the school’s most beloved students.

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DENVER — For so many of his friends, he was just Q-man — a superhero of sorts, a boy who lifted spirits and radiated cheer and charm.

And on Wednesday he was gone. Fifteen-year-old Quinton Sanford, a wrestler and cross country runner at Highlands Ranch High School, collapsed that afternoon during a school-sponsored run along the High Line Canal.

Friends said his father, who was present at the race, performed CPR, but Quinton died en route to the hospital.

For much of the school, Thursday was a day of mourning. Word of the sophomore’s death spread quickly.

Students came to school donning black, many crying throughout the day. Grief-stricken teachers couldn’t make it through class. The school already endured the loss of another student a few weeks ago.

A preliminary autopsy by the Arapahoe County coroner’s office was inconclusive. Additional test results are expected in eight to 10 weeks.

“If he just started talking to you, you would get a smile,” said 15-year-old sophomore Taylor Snow. “He was always happy, and he loved everyone.”