Some student-athletes in the local CHSAA enjoy their high school sports experience so much that they make it a point to return as a coach to help mold the next generation.

Such is the case on the gridiron at Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge, where former football player Dom Aluotto is now the varsity program’s head coach.

Aluotto grew up in Marine Park playing Catholic Youth Organization basketball and baseball at St. Columba. He played his youth football for the Brooklyn Hurricanes in the Big Apple Football League, and from a young age, he gravitated toward the X’s and O’s.

He knew he wanted to play high school football, so after he graduated from St. Mark’s in Sheepshead Bay, Xaverian was the perfect fit. He played four years of football as a wide receiver and defensive back for the Clippers before graduating in 2012.

“What I really love about the sport is the complexity of the plays,” said Aluotto, who also played lacrosse at Xaverian. “I’m a chess guy, so to me, football is chess with humans. It’s amazing how complex it is.”

As much as he loved football, Aluotto actually played lacrosse collegiately at ASA College in Downtown Brooklyn. When his former Xaverian lacrosse teammate and fellow team captain, Jeremy Mangano, was hired as the Clippers’ new varsity coach, Aluotto became an assistant coach and realized he wanted to pursue a career in teaching and coaching.

Though he started coaching lacrosse, he soon helped out as an assistant with Xaverian’s football program. He began as an assistant junior varsity coach and was then appointed as JV head coach. In just two years, he led the Clippers to a Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL) championship.

In the fall of 2024, Aluotto was hired as a history teacher for freshmen and sophomores at Xaverian and began coaching varsity football as an assistant to then-head coach Kevin Fountaine. Aluotto coached the wide receivers, and the Clippers won the CHSFL ‘AA-II’ division title.

Fountaine announced he would be leaving, so Aluotto stepped in as a familiar fit — guiding a program he played for not too long ago.

As someone who enjoys cooking, Aluotto likens football to experimenting in the kitchen.

“As a young kid, I always wanted to be a football coach,” he said. “You get to try different things and put your own spin on it. With football, the beauty of the sport is how different every play can be. It’s poetry in motion.”

The Clippers already look sharp heading into a new fall campaign. Coming off a championship year, Xaverian will once again compete in the CHSFL ‘AA-II’ division.

Leading the offensive charge is senior quarterback Terrence Watson, a returning starter from last year. Junior running back Richie Aiken is expected to be a force in the backfield, while junior wide receiver Christian LaRocca should give Watson a consistent downfield target.

Defensively, senior outside linebacker Joseph Tommasetti and senior safety Andrew Lepore will be the stalwarts. LaRocca (outside linebacker) and Aiken (safety) are set to contribute on defense as well.

As for Aluotto’s coaching philosophy, preparing his student-athletes for the next phase of their lives — whether that’s playing college football or becoming a contributing member in society — is just as important as winning football games.

“The important thing to me beyond football is just being a good person,” he said. “That was instilled in me when I was a student-athlete here. That’s something that I really push toward the kids.

“I want these kids ready for when they live their lives and be good young men doing the right thing in the classroom and on the practice field.”

The Clippers have worked hard through training camp — sometimes with two-a-day practices. Aluotto’s vision is for the program to be yearround and foster a sense of commitment among the student-athletes that allows them to feel as though they’re part of something bigger

“At the end of the day, it’s a game,” Aluotto said. “We should be having fun doing this. We’re all one big family.”

With this full-circle moment continuing to take shape, Aluotto seeks to share his experiences as a football player with his student athletes, who are now walking in his “cleats.”

As last season’s league champs, Xaverian — even under a new coaching regime — is poised to defend its title valiantly.