BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
With four straight Top 10 finishes and the best Average Time in the PRCA this year, John Douch enters his fifth NFR as a cowboy to watch. In each of his last two NFRs, he has won a round, including with a 6.6 in Round 6 of 2022.
He will enter No. 7 in 2024.
Texas Circuit Finals, $9,202
After winning his first rodeo at the Waller County Fair and Rodeo on Oct. 7, 2023, Douch followed it up with a victory at the Texas Circuit Finals on Oct. 13. He dominated, turning in four runs of 8.8 seconds or faster and winning the Average by six tenths over World No. 1 Shad Mayfield. The next closest cowboy was more than four seconds behind.
San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, $18,500
San Antonio looked a lot like the Texas Circuit Finals for Douch, who made four runs of 8.1 seconds or faster, including a 7.6 to win the Wildcard and a 7.8 in the Finals, where he finished second to Mayfield.
San Angelo Cinch Chute Out, $7,500
Competing against the best of the best in ProRodeo, Douch capped his Texas Swing with runs of 7.4 and then 7.3 seconds to win the event. Kincade Henry and Ty Harris were the two cowboys who joined him in the Short Round.
St. Paul Rodeo, $8,890
After a 10.1 on his first run, Douch rebounded with a 7.5 to grab second in Round 2 and third in the Average. Over Cowboy Christmas, he also won the Livingston Roundup Rodeo for the second straight year with an 8 flat run, which came with a payday of nearly $6,000.
The Calgary Stampede, $12,175
Douch made runs of 8 flat and 7 flat to advance out of Pool A, the latter of which won him Round 2. On Championship Sunday, he was 7.8 and 8.4 to take third overall behind Haven Meged and Macon Murphy. Douch also advanced to Championship Sunday in 2022.
Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo, $6,500
In Salt Lake City, Douch finished with a bronze medal after advancing second out of the Third Performance and then turning in an 8.5 in the Gold Medal Round. Haven Meged and Riley Webb shared first.
Cassia County Fair and Rodeo, $3,533
A weekend after winning the Owyhee County Fair in Idaho, Douch made a 7.8-second run to finish third at the Cassia County Fair and Rodeo, a rodeo he won in 2022.
Continuing on his Idaho success that same weekend, he also finished third in the Average at the Caldwell Night Rodeo.
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